


Callen's Bigger problem

by CALLEN37



Series: Callen and Hetty [4]
Category: NCIS: Los Angeles
Genre: Family Secrets, Gen, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-29
Updated: 2013-05-12
Packaged: 2017-11-27 10:45:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 27,973
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/661086
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CALLEN37/pseuds/CALLEN37
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sequel to Callen's little problem. He's back to work and Sam kept his secret but when Hetty goes missing the team find out. What does this mean for Callen, Hetty and the team.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Callen's bigger problem.**

Chapter 1

Callen walked into the bullpen. Two weeks after being sick with chicken pox, all his visible spots had gone away and after a talk with Sam it had been decided to keep this information and the other bit of information he had gleaned during Callen's two-week convalescence to himself.

"Hey Callen!" Deeks said smiling as their team leader arrived back. "How was the mission?" he asked.

Callen grinned "Very hush-hush, but we got the bad guy."

Sam smirked, "Welcome back partner." He said and was bowled over by Kensi

"Hey Callen!" She hugged him until he winced.

"OK Uncle!" he laughed she stepped back and grinned.

"So what are we working on?" He asked ready to get up to speed.

"Nothing, we had a case of a petty officer selling secrets, but it pretty much deadpanned." Deeks told him.

Callen smirked, "See can't solve a case without me."

"Really, so the five others we've solved since you've been sic…..on a mission don't count." Sam shot back.

"Yep," Callen smiled

Kensi was about to say something when Eric whistled from Ops and they all walked upstairs.

* * *

Granger stood stony faced in the center of OPS "We have a situation" he said and looked towards the screen as Director Vance's face filled it.

"Hetty has gone missing." Vance said.

Sam looked at Callen as his grip tightened on the desk but he said nothing.

"She was supposed to be at a conference in D.C. however she never arrived. According to my sources, she never left Los Angeles. We received this letter this morning," Vance took a deep breath looked down and started to read. "We have Ms Lange, we know all about her and your NCIS, However we are not concerned with that. She has a file on our group The Deliverers of Peace. From her CIA days and a confidential informant contact list hidden in a safe place. She says she won't tell us. You have 24 hours to find the list. We will contact you for drop instructions if you do not comply we will leave her son motherless."

Vance looked up.

"I was not aware Hetty had a child?" Granger said, the others all looked shocked as well.

Callen shot a look at Sam, "What do we have on this group?" he asked still gripping tightly.

"Not a lot," Granger admitted,

"Then we had better get those files." Callen said and walked out.

* * *

Sam followed him, "G!" he called.

Callen stopped, "Sam….They have Hetty, if the others find out about me I'll lose my job, or worse they will kill her. I can't lose her she's all I have….Dammit Sam, This is why it was a secret!" He hissed quietly at his partner,

"G, do you know where the files are."

"No, I've never seen them, I've got to look Sam I can't let her down."

"Callen! You and your team go and search Hetty's house." Granger called down after him.

"Shit." Callen swore under his breath then nodded and walked out of the building.

They piled into the car and Kensi and Deeks kept looking at Callen on the ride over, They knew he had known Hetty the longest being on the team first but something about his demeanor was unsettling them.

As they got out of the car Sam pulled Callen aside.

"G, you need to tell them, the second they walk in that house they are going to pick it up."

Callen shrugged off his arm and walked to Kensi and Deeks who had pressed the bell.

* * *

"What are you doing?" He snapped.

"Ringing the bell." Deeks said looking at Callen as if he were nuts.

"Hetty's not here remember,"

"But maybe this mysterious son is here." Kensi said defending her partner.

Kensi bent down to pick the lock.

"Hold it," Callen said getting his key out, "I'm damn well not paying for a new lock."

"You have a key!" Deeks said surprised.

"What you see in here, unless it pertains exactly to the case, stays here…..Got it!" He growled standing between them and the door.

The two junior agents looked quizzically at each other. "Sure?"

Callen nodded at Sam, "That do ya?"

"Wasn't exactly forthright and honest…..but it'll do." Sam said secretly looking forward to seeing how freaked out his teammates would get.

The other two looked confused as Callen opened the door, "You'd better come in then," He said grimly.

They walked carefully in as Callen picked up some mail off the table and opened some.

"Kensi, Deeks start in the living room, first door on the left." He said and bolted up the stairs.

"How does he know where it is?" Deeks asked Kensi.

She shrugged her shoulders, "Dunno, but we'd better start in there."

They walked into a huge but comfortable room with a large Sofa and chairs, a bookcase and various ornaments there was also a shelf with a handful of photographs on them.

They started looking carefully not wanting to incur the 'wrath of Hetty' for messing up her house when Callen came in wearing a different shirt.

Kensi noticed immediately and gave him a look.

"Did you change your shirt?"

"Yep." Was all he said until Deeks went to move a book on the sofa. "Don't touch that!" he yelled jumping over the coffee table to reach him.

Kensi reflexively drew her gun and Deeks stepped back alarmed.

Callen picked up the book and grabbed a bookmark from behind the cushion, "Don't wanna lose my place." He said and turned to find Sam smirking and the other two looking at him incredulously.

"Have you been staying here?" Kensi asked.

"You read?" Deeks asked and got a punch from Kensi.

"Grew up here." Was all Callen said with a grin to Sam said, "I'll check out Hetty's study, it's safer if I do it." Then he walked out of the room.

Kensi and Deeks took a closer look around the family room. There were pictures of Callen from about fifteen and older some with Buddy the dog, some of him in military uniform with and without Hetty standing by his side looking every inch the proud mother.

"Wow!" Deeks said.

"Callen is the son they were talking about?" Kensi asked Sam.

"Granger is going to flip!" Deeks said.

"Granger is not going to find out!" Callen growled walking back in. "Got it," he said showing them the file.

"Did you know?" Kensi whirled on Sam, "I thought we were a team with no secrets."

"This is bigger than that Kensi, Can't you see now they have Hetty and they know she has a son but don't know who. If anyone else finds out I'll have to leave the team and we will be compromised, it's important that it doesn't leave this room."

 


	2. Chapter 2

They rode back to OSP in silence, although the two junior agents were bristling with questions, every time one of them tried to ask, Callen would glare at them then readjust his focus outside the window.

Granger was waiting for them in OPS as they walked into the building.

"I'll take that." He said and grabbed the disc from Callen's hand.

"We need to trade that for Hetty." Callen snapped.

"Agent Callen, we don't negotiate with Terrorists," Vance's image covered the big screen, "However this information will be useful in taking down The Deliverers of Peace." He told them.

"You used us to get this information." Callen snarled mad.

"Ms Lange knew what she was letting herself in for, doing this job. She can take care of herself." Granger said.

"She wouldn't leave one of us behind," Callen said.

"We have to help her!" Deeks said.

"You can't do this!" Sam exclaimed.

"But it's Hetty!" Kensi said.

Vance was shocked at the outpouring of sentiment this team had for its leader, He doubted any team, save for Agent Gibbs' team in Washington, had that kind of loyalty for its leader.

Although he did remember when the whole team quit last time to save her.

"We have a disc delivered earlier…I think maybe you all need to see it."

Vance motioned beside him as one of his techs cued up the disc.

* * *

Hetty sat tied to a chair. Looking disheveled and a large bruise forming on her face.

The team instinctively moved closer to Callen to support him as his hands balled into fists but he kept his face a mask.

"I am to tell you that I am well," Hetty said to the camera, "The group that has me wish me no further harm, I am to tell you to find the documents they are looking for and deliver them to an address taped to this disc. They will call with the time." Hetty stopped and looked at the man behind the camera, "I will NOT say that." She said.

A man whose face was covered stepped out from behind the camera and backhanded her again.

"Say it!" A heavily accented voice came from the man.

Hetty looked at them defiantly then spoke quickly in Romanian, "Fiul meu stiu cine sunteti si se uita la casa, incredere in nimeni. Mai ales Granger. Te iubesc nu uita ca unde ma aflu." she said.

Callen tensed as the others not understanding looked at him for a translation.

"She doesn't know where she is," He supplied.

"Stop speaking Gibberish and tell them!" He insisted.

"My son needs to deliver the disc or they will kill me," she said.

The disc cut off.

* * *

"We can't help her yet," Vance's voice cut through the screen, "We are looking for the son but can't find him, and the delivery is at the place where the son was found. It is a clue but we don't know where it is and we have 24 hours."

Callen pushed through his friends and grabbed the disc from Granger.

"Callen, just what do you hope to accomplish."

"I'm going to bring her back, before they hurt her even more." He said not able to keep the crack out of his voice as he thought of anyone hurting her.

"You don't know where to go, and if you hand over those files you'll be a traitor." Granger squared up to Callen, "And a few knocks may take the old bird down a peg or two."

Callen grabbed Granger and pointed his gun in the mans face… "Say that again." He snarled.

"Callen!" Vance yelled surprised at his outburst.

Sam and Deeks each grabbed an arm to pull him off.

"Calm down G." Sam said to his partner,

"Back off Sam," Callen snarled.

"Assistant Director Granger, That outburst was unwarranted and is unproductive apologize right now," Vance said.

"Sorry," Granger said sullenly.

"Go to hell!" Callen replied he had well and truly lost his temper now and was madder than Vance or anyone else on the team had ever seen him.

"Are you ok?" Nell asked him

Callen laughed derisively "Am I ok? Of course I'm not ok." He snapped.

"Is there something going on here I don't know about?" Vance asked.

Callen laughed, "Director Vance there's a lot you don't know about, if you did Granger would have been fired years ago."

"Agent Callen, I know you and Assistant Director Granger have your differences but there's no need to draw a gun on him, it is a suspensionable offence,"

"So suspend me already I have places to be," Callen snapped.

"Suspending you will not help get Ms Lange back." Vance said.

"Oh for crying out loud, I know where she is." Callen snapped. "Let's just get the disc to them and get her back. We can fake the files so they don't get anything important."

"Very well, I take it Hetty confided this in place with you I know you are both close, Agent Deeks, you will go in as the son, Agents Callen, Sam and Blye will be your back up."

* * *

Callen moved back as the others crowded the table.

It suddenly occurred to him that he had to keep Hetty's secret and running the play the Directors way would leave them both exposed.

The others went over the plan as Callen slipped the disc off the table and slipped out the door leaving his badge and cell phone on his desk and grabbing Sam's keys from his desk he slipped out of the building.

"Agent Callen if you can give us details of where this place is that the terrorists want the meet to happen?" Director Vance started.

They looked around to realize that he was not in the room.

"Find him." Granger ordered as he realized the files were missing too.

Callen threw the disc on the passenger side of the challenger and started the car's engine peeling out of the parking lot.

He knew exactly where he was going, the last children's home he was in, on Valeria Street, in Fresno.

He was angry that Granger had been able to say the things he had about the woman he thought of as his mother and that to keep their secret he wasn't able to defend her honor more than a subordinate and there was no way he was going to let Granger hang her out to dry.

He knew eventually the others would find him, Eric was good but he hope the head start meant that he could get his mother away from there with the minimal of casualties if something happened to her he would never forgive himself. She was after all the only family he had.

He had know as soon as they offered Deeks the role of the son, that he would have to go rogue, Hetty had told him that they knew who he was and if Deeks appeared they may kill him and her, and he needed no more death's on his conscience. No one else would die for him again… not if he could help it.

Sam came back up to OPS with Callen's cell phone in his hands and his badge.

"Director he left his badge and his cell phone and my car is gone."

"Eric, can you trace Agent Hanna's car all agency cars had a LO JACK upgrade last month." The director said.

Eric started typing in numbers "I have it." He said, "He's heading to Fresno."

Granger turned to Sam, "I don't know what is going on in your partners head but when you find him I want him back here."

"Sure, as soon as we have Hetty we'll be back." Sam said.

"Bring Agent Callen back either way," Vance ordered. "I won't have insubordination in my Agents."

"Yeah like you wouldn't save your mother," Deeks said and slapped his hand over his mouth as he realized just what he had said.

"Agent Deeks?" Vance started and a woman appearing behind him on the screen stopped him. "Hold on I have the full translation of what Hetty said."

He took the sheet of paper and read it aloud. "My son, they know who you are and are watching the house, trust no one. Especially Granger. I love you do not forget that, I don't know where I am"

"Dammit!" Granger snapped deriving a conclusion. "Callen is the son!"

 


	3. Chapter 3

Hetty woke up her head was aching, no doubt from the drugs they had given her when she had been taken, she had fought the drug for as long as she could listening to the men who had taken her. She had heard the name Granger, was not sure whether she could trust him, and was pleased that she had been able to give that information to her son.

Having only seen men in masks she was still confidant that she would be able to get out of this in one piece until she looked up and the door opened.

She looked up not willing to say the man's name unless he was undercover; she looked at him warily as Trent Kort walked around her checking her bonds.

"Granger sent me to protect you." He whispered in her ear. Her only reaction was an eyebrow raised in surprise.

He stood up and looked her in the eye, "My name is Hakim Malik I am your guard, you will not try and escape me I am to take you for your ablutions and I will have food for you. You are a valuable commodity." He said.

* * *

He walked her past the others to the bathroom and entered with her. There was a sink in one room and the toilet cubicle next to it so at least she was afforded that courtesy, As soon as she had finished and was washing her hands Kort sidled up to her. "It is safe to talk here." He said.

"What does Granger have to do with this?" She asked leaving the tap running to cover their voices.

"Granger heard whispers in the CIA that someone was a mole and they were after some secrets associated with The Deliverers of Peace… I infiltrated the group on his orders to protect you; I managed to keep you as safe as I could. There was rumors of you having a son who had more of a price on his head…I know you don't have a son the CIA checked you out years ago, so when he doesn't appear they'll let you go and the only one you'll be hunting is me." He told her.

"Why do they want my son?" Hetty asked.

"You mean there is one?" Kort countered.

"Answer the question Mr. Kort." She glared.

"A Serbian business man has been looking for him; he doesn't have a name but found a picture he says of him with you which says school trip 1986. He doesn't know his name but he had dealings with him in the late 90's"

Hetty leant against the sink, "What have I done?" she said to herself.

Kort looked at her.

"Hetty….Do…you have a son?" Kort asked gently.

Hetty looked up looking older that Kort had ever pictured her. "I have a foster son, I love him like my son…He knows where the meet is and he will go alone if Granger is in charge of the operation I told him not to trust Owen." She told him.

"I can get a message to Granger to protect him." Kort said.

Hetty laughed.

"He doesn't need protecting; he'll probably kill all your men and do something incredibly stupid without his team to back him up."

Kort took a step back trying to figure it out…."Deeks or Callen?" he asked. Then he thought some more and smirked. "Callen…Callen is your son! Hetty…how did you manage to keep this out of the CIA files?" Kort said the awe in his voice palpable.

"I have my sources, now I need to get out of here and find him, who is this business man?" she asked.

"Alec Mikheeva. He has been trading with this group for weapons. So you know where the meet is then?"

"Yes it's the old Valeria Street Orphanage in Fresno." Hetty told him.

Kort handed her his phone, "We don't have much time, and the sedative I put in their drinks should be taking effect now, call your team and let them know what's happening"

Kort looked out of the door the other three men were asleep and he beckoned to her to follow him.

Dialing the phone as she walked and she reluctantly followed him.

* * *

Granger looked at Vance mad as hell, "Did you know?" He barked annoyed that this was the reason that Callen had been able to remain on the team even after the Janvier debacle.

"Of course I didn't, he'll have to leave the team," Vance said. "But Owen, you need to get your team to find him first."

Granger opened his mouth to reply and was cut off by his cell phone ringing.

"Eric, track this call." He said as he saw it was an unknown number and he answered it. "Granger." He snapped.

He stood stock still as he realized it was Hetty on the phone and listened to what she had to say. "Stay safe," Was all he said as he hung up.

"Eric I need you to find out all information you have on an Alec Mikheeva a Serbian businessman who had dealings with Agent Callen in the late 90's. Sam take your team to the old Valeria Street Orphanage in Fresno" he said, "That's where Callen is headed, Hetty is safe and on her way there."

The others piled into Kensi's car and headed to the Orphanage in the hopes of heading Callen off.

Vance looked at Granger, "I take it you just heard from Ms Lange."

Granger nodded and filled his superior in as much as he dared. "This was all a ploy to get their hands on Callen." He finished.

"Damn, with what he knows we could lose this entire unit." Vance cursed.

"It won't happen. I heard rumors about this group going after Hetty a while ago and had my man on the inside." Granger admitted.

"Who?" Vance asked.

"Trent Kort, he owed me a favor and could work under the radar." Granger admitted.

Vance groaned, his dislike of Kort after the many run ins he and Agent Gibbs' team had had with him was legendary.

"He may not be the perfect Agent Director Vance, but I trust him with this, I owe Hetty and I intend to do everything to keep her safe. And Director…" He said waiting to get Vance's attention again, "Keeping Callen in this team with her is important, he may be annoying but he's the best you have and their relationship hasn't affected anything so far. If he makes it back in one piece I'm recommending he stays on the team."

"I thought you didn't like him." Vance said surprised.

"I don't….but he's effective at his job." Granger said and cut the contact.

He turned back round to see the technical team all looking at him.

"Eric, Nell…Do you have the information I need." He asked trying to keep the smile from his voice.

"Er….No…." Eric admitted.

"Then get back to work." Granger snapped and walked off to Hetty's office. After this, he deserved some of her scotch.

 


	4. Chapter 4

Callen skidded to a halt outside the building he had last set foot in as a child.

Suppressed emotions and memories from his time here flooded over him and he had to hang onto the car door to ride them out. The beating he had taken from the 'house father' who had taken an instant dislike to him when he had been returned from his fourth foster home in as many weeks and had decided that it was his fault and had made the decision to beat the bad out of the boy.

Fifteen year old Callen was curled in a fetal ball, he had actually cried and wailed and sobbed until there was no more emotions left in him, Jackson Grey, the 'house father' had just beaten him for the fifth time in a row and thrown him back in the room behind his office.

"You stay there boy until you can tell me what's wrong with ya, you're a reject boy and I don't have rejects here so you need the bad beaten outta ya, this is for your own good!" He snarled, closing the slatted door.

Callen had his one unbroken arm wrapped around his ribs, he knew at least three were broken and his ankle as well maybe, he had felt a flare of pain as Jackson stamped on it.

* * *

He had been at this home for just over a month and had been placed with five different foster families.

The first had wanted a girl and thought Gee was a girls name, they had no room for boys so sent him back within hours.

The second and third had problems dealing with a boy who was as introverted as Callen was and found the look of loneliness in his eyes too much to bear. Both had sent him back the next day.

The fourth had lasted a week, until they had caught Callen kissing their teenage daughter. He tried to explain she kissed him and he didn't like her in that way, but they sent him back blaming him and protecting 'their little angel'.

The fifth had sent him back a week ago. He had been there two days the foster mother was lovely, her name was Sheila, she had made him feel welcome and he had felt safe, then she had a heart attack.

The welfare workers had just told Jackson it did not work out and Callen had thought he had killed the woman. He had been distraught when they had brought him back. However, Jackson didn't like rejects it was well known that he was heavy handed and would meter out punishments that were only whispered about amongst the children that stayed there.

It had taken an hour after lights out for Jackson to come, drag Callen from his bed, and haul him down to his office.

* * *

"Do you know why you're here boy?" Jackson had asked on the first night.

"No Sir," Callen replied not looking at the larger man.

"Five homes in a month boy, they rejected you….you're a reject. Worthless. Tell me why should I put up with you?" He snarled.

"I dunno Sir," Callen mumbled.

"I'll tell ya why, because it's my God given mission to get boys like you into good homes. Well there is obviously something wrong with you, I can see the evil in your face. It need to be beat outta ya boy." Jackson said taking off his belt.

Callen dropped his pants as ordered and leant over the table as Jackson hit him fifteen times with a belt. Each time Callen wanted to cry and scream, but he knew from past experience it was no good, they would only beat him harder so he stayed quiet.

When Jackson threw him back on his bed and left the room Callen sobbed silently into his pillow, yet again he prayed for God to send his parents to save him.

He spent the whole of the next day in the bathroom studying his face in the mirror; he could not see the evil Jackson had insisted was there.

He grabbed a piece of glass and held it under his chin while thinking of cutting his face to get the evil out.

His friend Andy walked into the bathroom at that moment and stopped him from hurting himself, both boys sat on the floor while 17-year-old Andy patched up Callens wounds the ones on his back and the one that would eventually leave a small scar under his chin.

Callen had gone to bed that night feeling a bit better….until Jackson came for him again.

Night after night the same thing….just the belt and the insinuations.

Then this night, Andy had been visiting his social worker and had told her about what had happened to Callen. The worker thinking Andy was just vying for attention had called Jackson to ask for his side of the story, Jackson denied everything and walked over to his liquor cabinet and had started drinking.

This night Jackson hadn't even waited for lights out he had just grabbed Callen by his longish straggly hair and dragged him into his office Callen had been denied meals as Jackson figured fasting the boy would be good for his demons but had made him watch the others eat. Callen was already tired and hungry when Jackson started on him. Yet still he wouldn't scream, even when Jackson trod on his arm and ankle almost certainly breaking them both.

Andy had looked through the window into Jackson's office and knowing it was certain death for him if he was caught he ran down the road to the nearest payphone and had called the police.

* * *

Hetty had awoken to her house phone ringing, she'd had a wire tap on the phones in and around the home, to keep an eye on Callen, she knew this last month had been hard on him having been informed about all the homes he'd been placed in.

"Ms Lange…..Owen Granger Ma'am, I have had a hit on that name you asked me to keep an ear out for you." He said.

He had played Andy's garbled message to the police…

"911 what is your emergency?" The operators voice came over the speaker.

"My names Andy, I live in the Valeria street orphanage, you have to send the police, he's going to kill him, he's been beating him all week, it's worse now…." Andy voice cut out as he sobbed.

"Police are on their way, who's going to kill someone?" The operator asked calmly.

"Jackson….our house father, he's going to kill Callen."

"Ok…Andy I don't want you to go back into the house, can you find somewhere safe to wait and let the officers find you when they arrive ok?" she asked.

"Please tell them to hurry….." Andy said and hung up the phone.

"Thank you Agent Granger." Hetty said and hung up the phone.

Within two minutes, she was in her car, breaking numerous traffic laws on her way to her boy.

"I won't fail you again Clara." She vowed as she pulled up just behind the police officers.

* * *

"Ma'am, you'll have to wait here." The first officer said drawing his weapon preparing to go in.

"I'm Agent Hetty Lange CIA. I have jurisdiction." She told them and they stepped back allowing her to take the lead.

The police officers found him first.

Jackson covered in blood sat drinking in his office as they burst in.

"Police hands behind your head and step out from behind the desk, where's the boy?" they asked as they cuffed him.

"Dead hopefully," Jackson sneered as he was dragged out in handcuffs.

The other officer used his phone to call child welfare to come and re-house the other children left.

Hetty walked in "Have you found him officer?" She asked.

"Not yet we are going to organize a search." He replied.

Hetty sat in Jackson's chair and heard a small movement in the closet behind her. She motioned to the officer who took a protective stance behind her with his weapon drawn.

When Hetty opened the door the sight of the broken and bruised body of made her want to sob, for a second she thought he was dead, she reached down to move a lock of hair from his face and he flinched and whimpered.

"Oh my God, he's alive. Get a paramedic in here!" she exclaimed as the officer ran to do as she asked.

"It's alright my son, I have you now." She said softly.

At that, Callen said the one word that meant their lives were to be forever linked, "Momma?"

 


	5. Chapter 5

Callen woke up, everything hurt but one thought ravaged through his head, he had called for his momma and she had answered, whether she had really found him or if it had been her ghost, talking through his pain addled mind he didn't know. However, his first thought on waking was, was she still there?

For a moment, he held his breath as he listened to see if it was safe to open his eyes.

"I think it is time for you to come back to us Mr. Callen." A woman's voice said.

Inwardly Callen groaned, it was all too good to be true and he should know better. The woman's voice had to belong to whichever social worker they had assigned to tell him it was his fault and he needed to go back to the orphanage.

Callen groaned, "I'll get my bag." He sighed, knowing they wouldn't want him to clog up a hospital bed.

"And go where?" the woman's voice said.

"Dunno." Callen replied sadly, He had no idea where they would ship him next and he didn't care.

Callen opened his eyes, they were swollen and he still hurt but he stubbornly pulled himself into a sitting position, reached for where he knew his bag would be, and pulled out his jeans and a shirt. He got them on with some difficulty knowing the small woman in the corner could still see him and he ignored her. He pulled his tattered sneakers out of his bag and winced as he tried to put them on. She watched concerned from the corner as his breath hitched in pain as he dropped one and tried with his ribs wrapped to pick it up. She got up and walked towards him, "Stop." She said and he looked at her, "You will rest Mr. Callen and I will have you transferred to a private facility for you to get over this ordeal."

"Jail?" He said resigned "I suppose I deserve it. I'm sorry."

"Why on earth would you go to Jail?" Hetty asked confused.

"Because I'm a reject and worthless, Mr. Grey always said I'd end up in jail, I made him beat me so I suppose that's where I'm going." He wouldn't even look at her, he voice sounded too much like the angel in his head and he didn't want her to go away.

"No, Mr. Callen, you're being fostered, your last placement." She said with authority.

"They won't keep me, I'm broken, and I won't fit….I never do…" He said softly.

"Do you remember what you said to me when I found you?" Hetty prodded gently.

Callen looked at his feet, "I'm sorry Ma'am." He said.

"Did you mean it?" Hetty asked.

"No MA'AM!" Callen jumped he wasn't sure what he said, but if he denied it, then it couldn't hurt him."

He flinched as Hetty laid a hand on his arm, "What If I could promise you that at this placement you would fit, you would not…ever be rejected and no one would ever hurt you."

"There is nowhere like that." Callen said.

"I would like to foster you; I know I cannot adopt you due to the lack of records, but…."

"Could you….you want to…..be my momma?" Callen whispered.

Hetty nodded and held her arms out as a broken and battered 15-year-old boy sobbed his heart out in his new mother's arms, he knew as she did at that moment she had saved his life.

Moreover, saved his life she had. Slowly she had built up his self worth, helped him finish high school and helped him through college, where he had blossomed. Although still the consummate loner, knowing that his 'mother' worked for the CIA he didn't want to get in too much with the wrong people and needed to work hard if he was going to get good enough grades to be able to work for the federal government in some capacity.

She had turned his life around and although she had plans for him, she knew he would never let her down as much as by slowly trusting her he knew the same thing.

* * *

With a renewed sense of purpose Callen shook himself out of his reverie and headed into the building, hesitating a microsecond as he reached the threshold of the building.

He gripped the disc tighter, he knew Jackson wasn't here anymore, he hadn't seen him since that day when he was fifteen.

He walked inside and before he even had chance to pull his gun he felt a barrel in the small of his back.

"Mr. Callen." The man's deep voice said his clipped Russian accent evident.

"I have the disc where's Hetty?" Callen asked.

He was maneuvered into what had been Jackson Grey's office. The desk and chair still sitting there as they had done since the day he had left and the home had been closed.

His natural reaction had been to vomit on entering the room, his face was a schooled mask as he turned to the Russian, "Alec, I thought you were behind this." He said his voice deep and deadly.

"Actually, I am not." Alec said turning in his chair, "I have an employer, this is what you reduced me to…you destroyed my empire and I am now reduced to having to work for the highest bidder however had I not needed the money I would have done this job for free." He admitted.

"Who then and where is Hetty?" Callen asked again.

The next voice he heard made him want to scream. "She's dead. You're next." Callen's blood ran cold and he started shaking he turned anger, terror and fury all evident in his eyes at once.

"Grey!" he snarled.

Jackson Grey stepped back as his men grabbed Callen by the arms and smoothed down his Armani suit.

* * *

Callen grabbed the grief and anger he was feeling and hid it as he looked at his one time tormentor, "You've done well for yourself." He said his voice flat.

"Yes I found a niche in prison, human trafficking sells well in Europe; I moved to the Ukraine and rebuilt myself. My sole aim was exporting when I knew you; break kids, report them as runaway's and sell them off. Then you came, you were perfect but you fought back…and then that woman ruined my scheme. Well I've had years to plan my revenge and imagine my surprise when I discovered she had fostered you and you both worked for the federal government. Getting a mole in your organization was easy. Waiting for the right time to take her wasn't. But I got her and now she's dead." He grinned as Callen staggered slightly.

"You're lying!" Callen snarled. "Why ask for the disk if your goal was to kill her?"

"Contacts; Contacts pure and simple, the disk has the names of everyone I dealt with and my supply line; the deliverers of peace were a front for my human trafficking ring." Jackson laughed gutturally, "The only peace I'm delivering is mine."

Jackson brought out a picture, "I saw the ones in your home…I thought you would like this one." Callen looked at the picture and lunged for Jackson.

"Remember what I said boy, you're a reject and worthless." Jackson stepped back and took the first swing at Callen with the baseball bat he had found in the closet when he had looked around in the office, "Remember this, I used to beat you with this and it was still here. Now it's going to kill you." He grinned as Callen held in a scream as his first blow broke a couple of ribs.

Callen dropped his eyes to the floor in defeat and as he fell and the blows continued his eyes focused on the picture of Hetty with a bullet hole in her head and glassy eyes and he knew, she was dead and he had no reason left to fight.

The last thing he heard before he allowed himself to slip into unconsciousness was a gunshot, he felt the pain and as he went his last thought was of the woman he'd grown to love as his mother.

 


	6. Chapter 6

Granger could not believe that he had made it there first out of everyone, the team had been sent ahead but then as word came through that they had gotten caught up in an accident on highway 1 he felt a need to act, if Hetty couldn't get there then he needed to. This was how he came to finding himself outside the room Callen was in, as Jackson told him that Hetty was dead. In addition, that it was Callen's fault that he had destroyed this end of his human trafficking business.

Granger heard the first blow as Jackson hit Callen and saw the defeated look in Callen's eyes as the second blow hit him on the back of the head and he went down, without thinking, he fired his weapon at Jackson Grey.

The second shot fired came from Alec Mikheeva, who shot at Granger who staggered back but fell so his body protected Callen's. Alex pulled the injured Jackson Grey and they headed for the door.

The team just pulling up saw the two men leaving and took cover as more shots rang out as the two men tried to escape.

Although the team shot back, they managed to subdue the two men with only minor injuries apart from the bullet wound Jackson Grey had. Deeks secured them in the back of Kensi's car and called for the paramedics as Kensi and Sam went into the building.

Sweeping the corridor, Sam called for G.

"In here!" Granger's tired voice rang out, "Get the paramedics."

Eric heard Sam over the earwig and called them in.

"They're on their way Sam how is he?" he asked.

Sam looked at Granger. "How is he? Why are you here?"

"You got caught in traffic; I had a faster way and a promise to keep." He said, "What's the ETA on the paramedics?" he asked. "Callen's been out cold for about ten minutes," he informed them.

"About 30 minutes they're caught in the same jam we were." Sam told him.

* * *

Sat leaning with his back against the wall Granger pulled out his phone, "its AD Granger, I need a pick up. Valeria street orphanage to Cedar Sinai we have a severe trauma case," Granger listened while the other guy argued, "its Hetty's boy, I'm cashing in all my debts with you…..because I owe her….and him," Granger slammed the phone shut.

"They'll be here in five." He said and closed his eyes his hand closing over his own wound.

Less than five minutes later a chopper landed in the big field at the back of the orphanage and a group of Marines came out.

"The Governor say this makes you even," A marine said and motioned as two other marines helped Callen onto a stretcher. "Sir, you're injured too." He said and Granger swatted his hand away, "I'll meet you there no delays get him to hospital. Sam, go with him." Granger ordered and a confused Sam went with G onto the helicopter.

Just as the helicopter took off Kort and Hetty pulled up.

"Owen. Where is he?" Hetty asked looking around seeing them all except Sam and Callen.

Granger gestured towards the helicopter receding in the distance, "They are taking him to Cedar Sinai. It's pretty bad, you should go Henrietta,"

"You look hurt Owen, come with me." Hetty insisted making sure, he got into the car. "Don't worry Kort will drive, thank you for sending him." She said.

Kensi and Deeks looked amazed at the exchange but wisely said nothing.

Hetty turned to the pair of them, "Get Mr. Grey the exact amount of medical attention he needs to survive and take them both to the boat shed, I will be along as soon as I know Mr. Callen is safe." She said.

The younger two agents nodded and rushed to obey.

* * *

Callen came to once or twice, but nothing made sense. He heard loud rhythmic thudding and it sounded like he was on the outside of an airplane. Then there were lights, flashing white lights and frantic voices, bright lights and people calling his name. He did not like it, he was not sure where he was but he knew….oh God! MOM! He felt bereft and heard the sob escape his lips even though he wasn't fully conscious.

Sam watched Callen fighting against his unconscious state and saw his face as the sob left him, "It's going to be ok G. Fight it come back to us." Sam said

Callen could hear him, but he couldn't answer and he didn't want to, Hetty had saved his life and she was gone. There was no need for him to fight anymore.

The doctors patched him up and moved him to a bed.

Sam sat by his side as the doctor walked in.

"We've patched him up he had two broken ribs and a skull fracture, what concerns us more is the fact that his pupils are responsive, we know he can hear us, but he's shut down,"

"Shut down?" Sam asked moving himself to stand protectively by G's bed.

"It's like he doesn't want to fight, he's just allowing himself to drift away."

Sam sat heavily in the chair, "He was ill recently could that have any bearing on this?" He asked clutching at straws.

"With?" The doctor asked.

"Chicken pox." Sam told him.

"It would explain his low white cell count, but nothing else." The doctor replied.

* * *

Hetty and Granger arrived at the hospital, "Owen you go to ER and I'll find Callen."

"I do know Hetty and its ok go be with your son, I'm sorry I owed you and called in a huge favor to get him here as quick as possible."

"You owed me?" Hetty sounded confused.

"When Callen was hurt….the first time I called you, I waited I wanted to impress you as you were my superior so I wanted to check my facts, I didn't realize he was a kid or that he was being hurt…so I owe you both."

"Consider the debt repaid, now Owen, I'm going to find my son." Hetty said and with a nod from Granger, she walked through the doors.

Hetty walked to Callen's room and stood outside collecting herself.

On the way to the hospital Granger had filled her in on the fact that Callen had been told she was dead and he had shown her the photo shopped picture of her dead in it.

She had looked at it with shaky hands and it had filled her with dread. That coupled with learning that Jackson Grey was behind everything hiding behind the Name of Alec Mikheeva who was a front man for Jackson's human trafficking organization and then realizing how close Callen had come to being part of that as a child. It had taken all the self-control she possessed not to shoot him in the head. Nevertheless, her mother side had taken over. Her boy needed her and she was damn well sure she wasn't going to be anywhere but by his side.

She opened the door and listened to the doctor's conversation with Sam.

As the doctor finished his conversation, she just couldn't help but make herself known.

"Oh Bugger!" she exclaimed.

 


	7. Chapter 7

Hetty walked in and the doctor turned to her.

"And you are?" He asked.

"Hetty Lange operations manager NCIS." She told him. "And more importantly…..His Mother."

The doctor changed his stance straight away, "I'm sorry, I was told he had no family which is why I was talking to his partner here," he explained.

Hetty nodded "We are all his family….Now what is wrong with my son?"

"We don't know since he woke up he had responded physically but not verbally. He won't engage or talk with any of us, I have done cat scans on him as I understand he was hit around the head, I think he may have a problem, but I haven't had all the results back yet. Until he talks to us I can't get an accurate diagnosis." The doctor admitted.

Sam glared at the man; he had not told him that.

Hetty walked up to Callen and put her hand on his arm.

"Callen?" she said softly.

Callen turned and looked at her; his eyes brimmed with tears as he finally saw the one person he trusted. "Momma?"

Hetty watched as recognition crossed his face and he hugged her, "He said you were dead….I thought I dreamed you." Callen said as he sobbed in her shoulder.

"We arrested him and Alex, they are at the boat-shed." She told him.

He sniffed and wiped his eyes with his sleeve, an act she had not seen in years, "Alex? Boat-shed Do we have a boat then and why don't the police have them?"

"G?" Sam said.

Callen moved away from the large man, he eyed him suspiciously and moved closer to Hetty for safety.

"'s he gonna make me move again…." Callen looked frantically at Hetty, "You….you promised, I'd stay with you and they wouldn't move me again…." He moved away from her, "Did I do something wrong, don't you want me anymore?"

Hetty gathered her boy in her arms, "Callen, I have never and will never ever break a promise to you." He relaxed a bit.

The doctor came over and looked at Callen's chart again, "Mr. Callen, can you follow this light?"

"DUH!" Callen said he sat up and followed the pen light.

"Ok, Can you tell us the date?"

"November 15th 1985." Callen laughed, "I'm fine, honest Mr.…you lost your calendar or summat."

"Momma, Can I go home?" He asked looking at Hetty.

"Soon Mr. Callen." Hetty said.

"So Mr. Callen, if you're fine why wouldn't you talk to us?" The doctor asked.

"Dunno you, do I!" Callen snarked his reply.

He started swinging his legs he was sore and bruised, but he knew Jackson Grey was to blame for that.

"A moment please." Hetty said to the others ushering them outside. "Wait here Callen." She told him.

Sam grinned as she shut the door and they heard him call "Aww MA!"

* * *

"Well," The doctor said.

"It looks like my son has reverted to a fifteen year old, the thing I want to know is….well is it going to be permanent he is a good agent and I would hate to have to go through puberty with him again." Even she couldn't hold back a grin at that even though she was worried for him.

"I can't promise you anything right now; he is ok to be discharged however I want him back in a week for more tests, and hopefully his memory will be back by then." The doctor said.

Sam and Hetty walked back into the room to find Callen fully dressed sitting cross-legged on the bed. He had his sig in his hand. "Cool! Ma look I got a gun!"

Hetty walked up and took it from him, "Not until you are better," She told him.

"Aww, but I am better!" Callen said with a pout.

"Callen." Hetty warned, Callen hopped carefully off the bed and stood with his bag hung between his feet looking ashamed of himself.

"Sorry." He mumbled.

Sam smirked looking at his partner. He was worried because of the head injury but another part of him loved the chance at getting to know the fifteen-year-old Callen, the boy who was Hetty's son, which he had only glimpsed briefly during his illness.

Callen looked up seeing Sam, the suspicion was back and he moved closer to Hetty.

"Callen, this is Mr. Hanna a colleague, He's ok, I trust him." Hetty said.

"Hi," Callen mumbled.

"Hey G." Sam said.

"Ok so we can't leave you alone so you'll have to come with us, but don't touch anything." Hetty warned. Callen nodded and followed meekly behind his mom.

* * *

They pulled the Challenger up at the mission and Hetty and Sam got out first.

"Is this where you work?" Callen asked Hetty.

"Yes, now stay close to me and don't touch there is a lot of expensive equipment here."

"Aww mom I didn't mean it…It was only one vase!" Callen said.

Hetty smiled as she remembered the day he was copying Steve McQueen from the great escape while waiting for his social worker's assessment visit and smashed an antique Chinese vase.

"It was one vase, but nevertheless there will be no baseballs in my mission Mr. Callen. Now stick with myself or Mr. Hanna."

Callen followed quietly along.

Sam and Hetty walked into OPS to talk to Kensi and Deeks and fill them in on the situation. Callen excused himself to use the bathroom and Hetty told him where she would be.

As he, left Sam turned to her, "anything we need to know about the teenage Callen?" he asked.

Hetty sighed her eyes following her son, "He's tricky, but basically a good kid. He doesn't trust easily like the adult version, but young Mr. Callen has none of the restraints that our version of him has."

* * *

They walked into OPS. Eric and Nell turned and smiled, pleased Hetty was safe with them again.

"Good to have you back." Nell said.

Hetty nodded as Kensi and Deeks came up on the plasma.

"Ms. Blye, Mr. Deeks how are our guests?" She asked.

"Still complaining, Mikheeva not so much, I think he's ready to talk, Grey is still calling for his lawyer, Granger just arrived and is in with Alex right now." Deeks said. "How's Callen."

"He's awake and out of hospital." Hetty said.

"Cool is he on his way?" Deeks asked.

"No, there is a small complication, it seems when he was hit on the head he lost some of his memory…about the last 27 years."

"What? Does that mean he thinks he's….." Kensi stopped as she saw Callen enter the room behind Hetty.

"SWEET!" Callen said his eyes lit up "Does this play games…..Mom? Can I?" He asked excitedly.

Eric grinned and Nell sniggered.

"Callen." Hetty admonished. Callen apologized and Hetty turned to look at the grinning faces of her two agents. Whose faces lost their grin with a look.

"Have Granger interrogate Mikheeva and then we will see about Grey." Hetty said

"He's here?" Callen asked his voice instantly afraid.

The others looked at the untamed emotions flying across his face and instantly felt for him.

"No, he's a few miles away at the boat-shed, you're safe." Hetty said.

"Callen do you want to play a game we have a spare laptop you can use." Nell said trying to placate him.

"Can I mom?" Callen asked.

Hetty smiled at her son, "Yes. Miss Jones if you can set him up at my desk, something age appropriate I think." She added.

Callen grinned as he followed Nell out of OPS, "She's cute." He whispered to Sam as he past him.

Sam grinned until Callen retrieved his memory; it was going to be an interesting time.

"Seal the door," Hetty said to Eric, "I don't want Mr. Callen walking in here right now and get me Director Vance."

 


	8. Chapter 8

Callen sat back admiring Nell as she walked up the stairs; the second he realized he was alone, he went through his bag.

'JACKPOT!' he thought smugly to himself as he brought out a credit card with his name on it and a set of car keys with the license number on the tag.

For a second he twirled the credit card around in his fingers….

He knew he may get in trouble, but he reasoned it was his credit card and the keys were in his bag. He went back to ops but the door was shut so in his mind he figured he could not ask permission. Besides what was the worst she could do.

No one else was paying attention to what he was up to, so grabbing his bag and checking out the contents of his wallet and looking at his driver's license he grinned, it must be a fake it says I'm 42 but it's a good fake so he grabbed his wallet and the keys and left Hetty a note.

'Just going out, back soon. Love Callen'

He walked out the door looking back once expecting his mom or that Hanna guy to come after him, but there was nothing.

Grinning like an idiot, he looked at the tag on the license plate and stopped beside a Jag.

"YES!" he grinned and fist pumped the air.

He sat in the car and put the keys in, he started the car and still no one stopped him.

Therefore, he drove off.

The first place he went to was a movie theatre, he got a ticket for an MA rated movie and sat in the back with a huge soda and the biggest tub of buttered popcorn they had. Halfway through the movie, he was beginning to think it was a bad idea, the movie was the scariest thing he had ever seen and he spent more time studying the popcorn tub than the film. At one point, he wished he hadn't left as he screamed like a girl as the ghost attacked the hero on the screen. He was so pleased that there were not many people in there with him and that they had screamed too.

Leaving as soon as the movie ended he decided he needed a drink like his mom said, 'to steady the nerves' so headed to an off-license he knew downtown.

He pulled up outside an off license, he did not want to risk the ID in a club but he knew here they were more lax. Swaggering a bit, he walked in and looked at the rack of alcohol. He walked around the aisle looking nonchalant; he had no idea what to try first, then he remembered the cabinet Hetty had in her study.

"Hey, Can I have two bottles of McClellan?" he asked, checking the door hoping no one else would come in.

"Sure," The cashier rang up the bottles and handed it to him and he handed over his credit card.

Callen managed to keep the smirk off his face until he rounded the corner.

"Wow she didn't even card me!" he took the lid off the scotch and gave it a swig, the taste burned his throat and he jumped at it and then he drank a bit more.

He put the lid back on the bottle, as he was not going to be pulled up for drinking and driving.

He decided to drive to his favorite spot on the top of the cliffs, stopping at a drive through for a double, double and fries. He finally pulled up on the bluffs overlooking the sea.

Eating the burger, he started drinking the scotch to wash it down with when his phone beeped.

For a second he thought it was Hetty, he opened the text message and vomited. Someone had sent him a file on Jackson Grey it included everything that Jackson had done to him along with photographs. 'Who would do that?' he grabbed the bottle of scotch wishing he had brought more and drank the whole thing. Feeling more than a little sick he climbed off the bonnet with the second bottle, opened the foil, and lay back. He couldn't think about him anymore. Getting antsy, he walked away from the car and closer to the cliff edge.

* * *

Hetty finished her call with Vance filling him in on the situation and then put a call into the boat-shed.

"Owen, I have my hands full here right now; I will need you, Miss Blye and Mr. Deeks to question Jackson Grey, The Director has informed me that it might be a conflict of interest if I interview him given our past history."

Owen nodded. "I need the full details of the case with Jackson." He said.

"It's being sent to your phones," Nell said absentmindedly.

Hetty turned to her, "You did take Mr. Callen's phone out of that loop?" She asked concerned for her boy.

Nell blanched, "No they automatically update to all phones." She said horrified by what she had just done.

Hetty and Sam walked downstairs to her office only to find it empty, "Mr. Hanna could you check the male restrooms for me please I will check the break room and gym."

They split up to look for him. However, both met at the bottom of the stairs empty-handed.

They headed back to ops.

"Miss Jones could you run a trace on Mr. Callens phone it seems he has absconded." Hetty said.

Nell typed in a set of parameters and looked up as a dot representing Callen appeared on the screen, "he's at Portuguese Point; it is part of Palos Verdes' Portuguese Bend area."

"I know it," Sam said, not telling Hetty that he had had to stop Callen attempting suicide there once or twice. Telling Hetty his boss, that would have been one thing, Hetty the mother….He was so not going there. "We need to hurry."

She nodded and got in the car with him.

"Hetty I can get him alone?" Sam said.

"Mr. Hanna, I didn't want to bring this up, but Mr. Callen at fifteen attempted suicide twice, the first time was when my ability to parent him was brought into question and he thought he would have to go back to the children's home, the second time was during Jackson Grey's first trial. Both times at Portuguese point. Not to mention, the two times you had to stop him; so yes, time is of the essence, so Mr. Hanna I suggest you floor it!" she said.

 


	9. Chapter 9

Callen walked to the edge of the cliff and looked over. Grabbing the empty scotch bottle in his hand, he swung his arm in a large arc and threw it. Counting in his head as the bottle fell until it smashed.

Three seconds….he paused as he imagined what the fall would feel like and what would go through his mind on the three seconds it took to fall from the top of the cliff to the rocks below.

He had only known Sam for a little while but had liked the man, now he knew what Jackson Grey had done to him and why, would he like him anymore. For a moment, Callen had thought that maybe he could have trusted Sam; something in him desperately needed to trust Sam and that was not something that happened to Callen every day.

Now that was over, Sam would see him as trash the same everyone else did….except….except for his momma. However, she worked with them and they trusted her. Would they see her as defective for taking him in and giving him a chance?

He did not want to kill himself; he did not want to leave her.

She had been the one shining light in his life and he felt it would be an insult to leave her like that. Nevertheless, he was torn, he knew that everyone knew, he did not know how, but he had had a message on his phone someone knew and they had seen fit to post his life and that of Grey's all over the internet.

He sat on the edge of the cliff and hung his legs over the edge feeling the wind whip at them as they hung in mid air.

Just one small lean too far and he would not have to see Jackson Grey again and they would not have to look at him.

He heard a car pull up behind him, but as he sat there all his pain and misery pouring down his face he did not even have the heart to turn, it was someone else who had seen the information and probably him.

Maybe they would just push him over the edge and the decision would not have to be his after all.

Sam stood by the car as Hetty walked and stood behind her son.

"Please…..just push me." He sobbed.

Standing behind him Hetty put her arms around his shoulders and hugged him. "Never, Callen, you are my life and you are too important to me."

Callen looked up, "Momma….they….I got ….did they all see it? The people you work with….do they hate me?" He asked.

Sam walked over and offered an arm to help G off the cliff edge.

"I don't hate you, neither do they, but they hate Grey and we will make him pay."

"Why does he hate me so much, what did I do…?" Callen stopped as he thought back. "Momma…Now that the police have Mr. Grey, does that mean I don't have to go with that Comescu man?" He asked her.

"Who was that son?" Hetty asked with a veiled terror seeping into her bones; this was not a current thing, this was something he was remembering; something that she had not known about.

"Mr. Grey said no one wanted me so I was going to have to go to a man called Yoska Comescu, I didn't like him he looked at me nasty and kept saying I'd earn a lot for him. He said something about me being a special order, I don't wanna go to work, and I wanna go to school."

"Come back with me and I'll make sure that you never go with him." Sam said

"Cool he's creepy." Callen turned around and as he stood up, he stumbled and fell forwards into Sam's arms and passed out.

* * *

Sam sniffed him, "He's ok Hetty, and he's just drunk."

Sam carried Callen and put him in the back seat of the car; Hetty locked up the other car and called for a tow truck to bring it back to the mission.

"We will take him to the boat-shed and sober him up. It's nearer and it'll not do G's rep any good if I carry him passed out into the mission." Sam said.

Hetty agreed. "Thank you Sam,"

Sam shrugged it off, "He's my partner." He said as he started the car.

"No Sam, for being there the other times and not letting him down by telling me, thank you." She said.

"As your boss I should be mad, as his mother, I'm glad he has someone like you in his life, you're good for him." She continued.

"When we get there I want him put upstairs to sober up, under no circumstances is he to get near Grey, I don't want him hurt again. Hopefully Granger will be able to get something out of both of them." Hetty said, "Although I think I may take some time to have a word with Mr. Grey myself." She said darkly and Sam shivered.

They pulled up, Sam got Deeks to help him with Callen, and the two carefully carried him up the stairs and put him in the cot in the small room at the top of the stairs.

"I never knew there was a room here?" Deeks said,

"Yes Mr. Deeks, Mr. Callen has been known to stay here once or twice, either when he was between apartments or mad at me." Hetty revealed.

"So grand theft auto, underage drinking, I'd say Callen's in for a world of trouble." Deeks grinned, thinking of Callen's face if he knew what Deeks knew.

"Technically Mr. Deeks, Mr. Callen stole his own car and didn't do anything illegal. Unless you have a problem with anything he has done." Hetty admonished him, "Right now we need to find out what Mr. Grey knows and make sure him and Mr. Callen do not cross paths,"

Hetty watched Jackson being interrogated by Granger and turned to Kensi, "Miss Blye would you ask Mr. Granger to join us here please." She asked.

Confused Kensi got up and did as she was asked.

Granger stormed out into the main room.

"What the hell Hetty?" he snapped.

"I wish to interview Jackson Grey myself." She said.

"Conflict of interest Henrietta." Granger stated.

"Conflict of interest, be damned, I have some new information that may put a clearer light on this case and I fully intend to be looking into that bastards face as I tell him." She said, all four feet of fury ready to strike at the first person to try to stop her.

 


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING...There will be some TOTALLY OOC moments, but it's all part of the story and temporary, (No, Sam will not be prancing around the boat-shed in a pink Tutu...he couldn't find it!)
> 
> Disclaimer...Can't find it so don't have it...I think it's with the Tutu!

Hetty looked at Granger daring him to stop her. He just looked and shrugged, "Very well." He sighed knowing that nothing was going to stop her.

She opened the door to see Jackson Gray looking older and better dressed than she remembered him.

"I know you." He stated.

"Yes Mr. Grey, My name is Henrietta Lange, I stopped your abuse and child trafficking business at Valencia Street Orphanage in 1985." She said she placed a file on the table and sat in the chair.

"I remember, you took the boy…you put me back by months." He snarled. "Although I made some new supply lines in prison, so I suppose I have you to thank for that….Though I was so close to retiring…you know for a small woman you are incredibly annoying!" He snapped. "He was my biggest score, he had no family and when his name was put on the list it was immediately taken off and put on a special order. He was worth a million dollars. YOU ruined that."

She sat back quietly and smiled, with his ranting he had already hung himself she knew he was never again going to see the outside of a prison again. With what he had admitted to; that and his attacking of a federal agent if he was lucky he might get an outside cell, otherwise sky was going to be a foreign concept. She hoped she just needed a bit more.

"Yoska Comescu." She said.

Her heart clenched as he smiled.

"You know I lost track of my boy for a while, then you showed up on my radar with people telling me you had a list of my supply line…Yoska was still willing to pay for any information as to his boy's whereabouts. I finally got my million, and a great lawyer, whom I'm assuming you will be calling now."

Hetty her insides like ice stood up showing no emotion and walked to the door.

"And thank you for bringing him to us." He said as she shut the door.

* * *

She for a second lost her composure and walked into the main room.

"Mr. Hanna…?" She asked, Sam knowing what she needed nodded and was already halfway up the stairs as she asked.

He opened the door.

"Hetty He's not here, the window is open and there's a ladder outside!" He yelled running down the stairs pulling his gun and running outside.

There was no sign of him.

Hetty took a deep breath and turned to the screen, "Mr. Beale I need footage from outside the boatshed from the moment we arrived." She ordered.

Eric pulled up the surveillance tapes.

Not two minutes after Sam, Hetty and Callen had pulled up and Sam had carried the unconscious Callen into the boat-shed a dark SUV pulled up. Two large men got out and quietly pulled a ladder from the side of the boat-shed and climbed up the side of the building.

Carefully they pulled Callen out the window and he hit his head as they turned him around but never woke up.

The two men talked to each other and one picked up his phone and made a call. Smiling they loaded him into the back of the SUV and drove off.

"Eric, find them….please." Hetty begged.

* * *

Callen woke up his head was killing him.

"Crap!" he said as he opened his eyes and the world swam. He tried to sit up but realized he was already sitting in a room on a mattress and he was chained to a radiator. He leant as far as possible from where he was and threw up.

A man on a chair watched him in disgust.

" ." He said and Callen whipped his head around, and then closed his eyes as he thought that would be a bad idea.

"Where am I who are you?" He asked a quiver of fear in his voice.

Yoska Comescu smiled, this was not the brave G. Callen he had heard about the one who had saved his foster mother by ruthlessly killing his mother Alexa Comescu, no, the rumors were true, had reverted to a 15 year old boy….And Yoska knew just what to do with a 15 year old boy.

"My name is Yoska Comescu, where you are is of not importance, you will from now on be where I tell you to be, you are my property and you will follow my rules. You will at all times, do exactly as I tell you. You will listen to no one else. You will not look me in the eye unless I tell you and you will call me Sir." He said with a smug smile.

"Like hell!" Callen growled out, "My mom will get you and then you'll be sorry."

"Who do you think told me where to get you?" Yoska said simply.

* * *

Callen's eyes widened in horror, His mother was the last thing he remembered, she had said he was too important…he remembered that. Maybe she had had enough; he had stolen that car and credit card and gotten drunk….but she promised….

He remembered his rule  **never**  trust blindly and  **never**  think you're safe.

He had trusted her, he should have known. Every adult he'd ever know had let him down.

But, SHE had promised!

He looked at the floor, he couldn't blame her, she had loved him, she had tried, he had messed up, he had stolen the bag out of his bag, he had taken those car keys. It wasn't her fault…It was his.

He looked at the floor and realized he was crying.

* * *

Yoska sat and watched as Callen as grown up as he was figured this out with his broken teenage brain. He smiled at the complex emotions that roamed freely across the mans face. He let out a small chuckle as he watched Callen break himself without even having to break a sweat, maybe he should recommend finding kids like Callen in the future, already broken. It would save him so much time.

"BOY!" He yelled and Callen jumped.

"When I call your name, you come and present yourself to me." Yoska said.

Callen looked confused.

"This is your one session, you get this wrong from now on and this will be your punishment," He took out a small hand held cattle prod and touched it to Callens neck."

Callen jumped and screamed as the pain from the device coursed through him, "SHIT!" he screamed.

Yoska looked at him. Callen knelt at his feet on the floor, "Sorry Sir, Yes Sir." The small amount of training that Jackson Grey had drummed into him came into play. He was keeping as still as he could but his whole body was still shaking.

"This will be on me at all times. Now Boy, you will be required to follow me two steps behind at all times and to sit at my feet, you will eat when I tell you drink when I tell you, relieve yourself when I tell you, sleep when I tell you….everything you do will be at my instruction."

"Yes S…Sir," Callen said with a small sob.

Uncomfortable as he was Yoska kept him in that position for two days.

* * *

Callen was tired, hungry and cold and he really needed to go to the bathroom, just as he was about to pass out Yoska walked back in the room.

"You may use the bathroom," He said flatly.

Callen walked towards the room Yoska had indicated and used it.

Yoska smiled. Callen being watched by camera the entire time and not once had he misbehaved. He remembered telling Jackson he had thought taking Callen as a man was a bad idea; however, when Jackson's lawyer had heard about Callen being injured and not having his memories, the chance of Yoska getting revenge for the death of his mother had increased.

Callen walked out of the bathroom and knelt at Yoska's feet not saying a word.

"Boy, come with me." Yoska said.

Swaying with fatigue Callen followed Yoska two steps behind.

Yoska entered a room with a camera.

"You are not allowed to speak." Yoska said.

Callen kept his eyes on the floor and knelt in the position he'd been ordered to, not realizing there was a camera on him at all times.

"My name is Yoska." He said

There was a collective gasp in the background and Sam's voice was heard "Get Hetty."

Callen wanted to look up he raised his eyes a little and saw the mini cattle prod in Yoska's hands. He immediately lowered his eyes.

Hetty walked onto Yoska's screen and he allowed himself a smug smile.

"I don't know if you remember me, you knew my mother. I am Yoska Comescu. I want the disc that Jackson Grey tried to get from you."

"Will you give us back Mr. Callen?" Hetty asked he voice quivered slightly.

Callen shot a scared glance at Yoska. Who smiled kindly at him holding out his palm behind his back so Callen could see the cattle prod.

"Boy here." Yoska said.

"Sir." Callen stood hand in front of him and his head bowed.

The others gasped as they realized that he wasn't in restraints.

"Do you want to go back to them?" He asked. As he did so he, for less than a second pressed the button.

"No, Master….please…don't make me!" He pleaded dropping to his knees.

Yoska had to bite his lip to hold back the laugh. This was so easy.

He placed a hand on Callen's head.

"Apparently he does not want to be with you. So you will have to ask for something else."

"G!" Sam said stepping towards the screen.

"There is no G only boy." Callen said flatly looking at the floor, "Boy doesn't make mistakes or get in trouble, Sir wants boy…boy is good." He said by rote.

"NO!" Kensi said.

The three of them stared at the screen in horror, it had only been two days what on earth, had happened to their team leader.

Yoska's voice came over the loudspeaker, "I will contact you in 24 hours." He said.

Just before the camera cut off Callen in a quiet voice said, "Sorry momma."

As Yoska turned around to hit him the camera cut out.

For the first time ever, the Los Angeles team turned to see their operations manager standing behind them….Crying.

 


	11. Chapter 11

Hetty looked over at the team and wiped her eyes. "I want him dead," She said with more venom than they had ever heard.

"Miss Jones, Do you have a location on him?" She asked.

She gave Hetty some co-ordinates and Hetty turned and walked out of the room.

The others quickly looked at each other and then followed her.

"Hetty!" Sam said, "We need to know where he is if we are going to get him."

Hetty stopped halfway down the stairs, turned, and looked at him.

"I will give you the address when we are in the car, Mr. Hanna and not before, I WILL be coming to get my boy. There will be an end to this."

She said with more force than they had ever heard from her.

Sam fought the urge to step back and nodded, He got everything he needed and they were all in their respective cars when Hetty gave them the address.

"That's a mansion in Malibu?" Sam said, "This guy must be loaded."

"He is a Comescu." Hetty said sadly.

"You will let us go in first won't you?" He asked.

* * *

Hetty nodded as the cars pulled up to the house Yoska Comescu was renting.

Sam, Deeks and Kensi walked up to the front of the house.

Surprisingly Callen opened the door.

He looked at them blankly.

"My master wants you to come in," he said and stepped back.

"Come with us now G…" Sam begged holding his hand out.

Callen turned and walked back into the house, he turned to a large room on the right and knelt down beside Yoska.

The others followed him.

"Hetty Lange, I take it you brought me my disc." Yoska said exuding the same confidence his mother had shown Hetty in Romania.

Hetty looked with sorrow at Callen and then turned to him.

"I have the disc," She told him reaching into her purse.

Instinctively Yoska motioned to Callen to put himself between Hetty and himself. Hetty held the disc.

"I want my son back." She said.

Sam saw something flare in Callen's eyes.

"We all want him back. We need him, he's family." Sam said.

Yoska moved his hand in his pocket.

"Do you want to go back with them, boy?" He asked with the tone of a kindly parent.

"N…NO…No Sir, I belong with you…" Callen said.

At that, Sam smiled.

"Hetty, this is what G wants, Give Yoska the disc." Sam said.

The others looked at him in horror as Sam took the disc off him and ushered them out of the room.

Callen walked them to the door.

"My master thanks you for coming and asks that you do not try to double cross him." He said.

Sam turned and hugged him, "Thank you G, and pass on my wishes to your master."

"Thank you Sir," Callen said and walked away.

Hetty lingered at the door wanting to go back in.

The others turned on Sam.

* * *

"What the Hell!" Deeks said.

Sam smiled, "It's for the best." He told them.

Kensi balled up her fist ready to strike her friend.

"Mr. Hanna…?" Hetty said.

"Wait." Was all Sam said…

Seconds later the sound of two gunshots were heard and Deeks and Kensi followed by Hetty and Sam ran back into the house.

Yoska was lying dead on the floor and Callen was curled in a ball.

"G?" Sam said

"Left pocket!" Callen said through grated teeth.

Sam bent down and undid Yoska's clenched hand and Callen relaxed.

"Sam, get this damn thing off me." He growled.

Hetty stood smiling, this was no longer the fifteen-year-old scared boy she had seen last night, and this was her son, the man he had become.

"You were faking?" Kensi asked as Sam got the electro-shock collar off him.

Callen sat heavily on the sofa, his eyes straying to Yoska's dead body. "I can't….I can't do this here…not now, Hetty?" he asked.

She walked across the carpet and hugged him, "Its ok son, and Momma's here now." She said holding him tight.

Callen tensed.

He looked around at his team, he knew that Sam knew, but for Hetty to do this in front of Kensi and Deeks.

Sam picked up his phone and called Eric, "We have Callen, he's ok but we need the coroner and the paramedics Hetty wants him checked out."

"OK Sam," Eric replied happily, "Tell Hetty we'll look after her boy."

Callen looked even more confused.

"Is there anyone who doesn't know?" he asked.

"Vance." The three special agents chorused.

"Even Granger knows?" he said astounded. "How much have I missed?" he said almost to himself.

* * *

The paramedics turned up first, unusually for Callen, he insisted that they examine him in the ambulance and he willingly climbed inside. Sam went to follow him but Callen turned around, "Get Hetty and meet us at the hospital, I don't want her on her own…I don't know why, but please Sam?" he asked.

Sam agreed and Callen climbed into the ambulance.

Sam and Hetty arrived at the hospital ten minutes after the ambulance and they walked up to the desk.

"Gary Lange?" She said, knowing that this was the name he used, in this hospital.

Sam raised an eyebrow, "We've been here a few times before Mr. Hanna." Hetty explained.

They were directed to a waiting room, half an hour later an elderly doctor walked out.

"Gary Lange?" He called.

Hetty and Sam stood and walked towards the doctor.

"You are his family?" the doctor asked somewhat skeptically.

"I'm his mother and this is his partner, he's in law enforcement." Hetty said.

The doctor nodded and motioned for them to go into a side room.

"I take it the nature of Mr. Lange's work means he can't tell us about everything that happened to him?" The doctor asked. "I will tell you what I do know, He arrived here, there are multiple burns over his body, there are, well what quite frankly look like whip marks all over his back, he won't tell us what made them, he has three fractured ribs and a large contusion on the back of his head, plus what looks like older bruising. I do not know what his bosses have had him doing, but I suggest for a while he stops. I am signing him as unfit to work for a month; I also suggest you look into some form of counseling for him." The doctor looked at them concerned. "He wants to talk to you both, he is on some strong pain medication and I would appreciate it if you did not upset him." He said with a pointed look at Sam.

* * *

They followed the directions the doctor gave and found Callen sitting on the bed putting his sneakers on.

"I'll be ready in a minute," He said not looking at either of them, "Debrief?" He asked.

"No, you're coming home with me." Hetty said

"Hetty! I know there are some things I don't remember, but whatever happened I got your disc back, you're safe…I think…so it's back to work." He said.

"Your doctor has signed you off for a month, I will be informing Director Vance, that you are…yourself again, and that you are on sick leave."

"Oh Hetty, come on! I can get better and be on desk duty."

"They are recommending you see a psychiatrist." Hetty told him bluntly remembering when it came to bad news Callen liked the band-aid approach,

Callen nearly jumped off the bed, "Why!" he exclaimed.

Hetty went to put her hand on his arm and he flinched, it was almost imperceptible but she caught it, "That's why, Son. You have been through a lot and you need time to heal."

"G, what's the last thing you remember?" Sam asked.

"I went to give the disc to the guy who had Hetty….it was Jackson Grey, then something hit me and I woke up being beaten by My….Yoska Comescu, I'm assuming Jackson took me, I don't think I was there long. How did you get back?" Callen asked looking at Hetty.

"Mr. Kort and Owen Granger rescued me; I've been free for a month." She told him, watching every facet of his face.

"I've been with m…Yoska a month?" He asked confused.

"No Yoska had you for three days," Hetty said. "You have some issues you need to work out; I am going to call Nate." She told him.

Callen jumped to his feet.

"I don't have issues, and I certainly don't need to talk to Nate!" He said getting scared.

"BOY!" Sam yelled at him.

Instinctively Callen dropped to his knees and then glared up at Sam, "I'm sorry G, but Hetty is right."

Callen stood up and wiped at his eyes with his sleeve angrily, "That's not fair Sam." He turned and walked out.

Hetty and Sam followed him down the hall.

"Callen, don't run." Hetty said quietly "Come home son."

Callen gave a curt nod, walked, and stood by Sam's car.

On the ride home Callen stayed silent looking out of the window. Sam watching him thought for a second he had reverted back to the teenager, but the truth was that Callen was processing all he felt and what he knew…And what he knew was that there were gaps, big one's and he didn't like it.

Not one bit.

When they arrived, back at Hetty's place Callen stormed up to his room and slammed the door.

Sam walked into the kitchen with Hetty, "I'm going to call Mr. Getz, perhaps Mr. Hanna you'd be so kind as to put on the kettle." She said calmly.

Sam looked the way she had gone and shook his head.

He hoped this would help, as a cup of tea, sure was not going to make things better.

 


	12. Chapter 12

Despite all his protestations, Callen did not emerge from his room for 24 hours, not because, as Sam had first thought, he was sulking. It was just that he was healing, he had slept solidly and he looked like it as he emerged into the kitchen bleary eyed in sleep short and a rumpled T-shirt.

He was still out of it the painkillers still in his system as he rubbed his eyes and stumbled half asleep into the kitchen and started rummaging through Hetty's cupboards.

In the other room, Deeks, Kensi and Sam had been sitting with Hetty as they heard the cupboard doors opening and closing.

"Mom!" Callen called, "We got anything to eat I'm starving?"

Deeks and Kensi, not having seen the domestic side of their team leader before grinned at each other.

"In your cupboard, your junk food is where it always is," Hetty said walking in behind him. "You may want to get changed, you have visitors."

"'Mm Kay," Callen said his slight smile disappearing and he grabbed an apple off the counter and a soda from the fridge and went to his room.

An hour later, he emerged and walked guardedly into the living room.

He leant against the door jam, refusing to go any further, "Hey." He said uncomfortably.

"Hey Callen." Kensi and Deeks said.

"G." Sam said by way of greeting.

"So wotcha want?" Callen said not in the mood to dance around the question.

"We wanted to see how you were." Deeks said.

"I'm fine." Callen said and turned to go.

"I have your medication." Hetty said and motioned for him to come in and sit.

* * *

Begrudgingly he came in, he hated appearing weak in front of his team and he couldn't shake the nagging idea that something had happened with them, for one How did everyone at OSP find out about Hetty being his foster mom, this had been their biggest secret and what did that mean now? For his standing with the team; for his job in general and more importantly what had happened on those, day's he could not remember…

He hated the nagging feeling of doubt he had when he looked at Hetty, he had never had it before. He had always been comfortable in her presence, she had been his angel, saved him on what he felt was the worst day of his life and he loved her like….well she was the only person he had ever loved unconditionally, like a parent. Now, every time he looked at her there was a nagging doubt in his mind, 'she doesn't want you' 'it's her fault' 'you don't belong here' 'they don't want you'. These thoughts kept running around in his head and he didn't like it.

He grabbed his medication swallowed the painkillers dry and walked out.

The others watched him concerned, even on his darkest days, they had never seen him treat Hetty with anything less than total respect, this was totally out of character.

The doorbell rang and Deeks got up to answer it, a few moments later coming back with Nate.

Kensi stood up and hugged him as did Sam, both pleased to see their former team-mate, "Hi Hetty, I've been briefed on what happened by Assistant Director Granger, I think I need to see Callen."

"Yes Mr. Getz you do, however there are some other matter's you need to be aware of." Hetty said guiding the ex-operational Psychologist into her kitchen.

Nate obligingly walked into the kitchen and sat as Hetty poured him a cup of tea.

"I take it this is the part where you tell me about your relationship to Callen," Nate said taking a sip.

"Granger told you?" Hetty said

"Yes. However I already knew, remember I am your Psychologist, I have been observing the team for years, After Callen got shot and you practically slam-dunked Macy out of her position, the way you have always been that little more protective of Callen than you have been of the others." Nate stopped as Hetty opened her mouth to object and then realized he was right.

"Moreover the way that Callen instantly quit a job he loved to fly halfway around the world to protect you. These things showed me there was a deeper relationship between you too. I had my hands on Callen's childhood files and saw he was last fostered by a Sylvia Cole; I know that is one of your Aliases, I was surprised no one else picked it up." He said with a smile.

Hetty realized all the clues had been there, Nate had just been the only one to notice them. This was good; maybe this meant he could figure out how to get her son, back to his old self.

Nate finished his tea and walked back to Callen's room.

* * *

He knocked once and walked inside.

He was taken aback by the amount of stuff in the room; it looked like a typical teenage boy's room, with small collections of this and that everywhere. a photo of teenage Callen, Hetty and a chocolate Labrador, both humans smiling relaxed was on the nightstand. A pile of Marvel comics were on a shelf and a Batman nightlight was still plugged in by the door; there was an extensive CD collection and a huge stereo. Things that Nate would have expected in Callen's house, not here. This showed him one thing, Callen may stay at his house, but this was his home.

Callen lay on his bed facing the ceiling; he didn't turn to acknowledge whoever had walked in.

"Callen." Nate said by way of announcing his presence. He cleared some books of the large armchair near the bed and sat waiting for Callen to say anything.

Fifteen minutes later Callen finally spoke, "I think I'm broken…there's something wrong with me." He said quietly. If Nate hadn't been sitting in silence, he would have missed it.

Nate closed the book he'd been skimming and looked up. "What do you think is wrong?"

"I'm missing pieces of me….three weeks to a month, I think. The team and now you know about mo…Hetty…" Callen faltered.

"It's ok to call her mom." Nate said.

Callen sat up and finally looked Nate in the eye, "NO IT'S NOT!" he snapped tears started to form in his eyes, "and I don't know why….We've always been close, but I'm scared Nate." His voice had gone back to a whisper "I…I'm scared of her…She was my anchor and now I'm scared of her, I keep feeling like she doesn't want me, like she allowed this to happen, IT'S NOT FAIR!" he exclaimed exasperated, "It's not her fault I know that so it must be me."

"What if it's neither of you?" Nate asked pushing Callen to accept a third possibility.

Callen looked at him, "How can it be anyone else's fault….I….I did….Something….Dammit! I don't know, I know I did something wrong….I know…I remember Hetty telling me I was important….then he said…." Callen knew his words were jumbled and not making sense, but neither did his memories. "He said….I was important, she let him have me."

"He?" Nate pushed again.

"My mast….Dammit! I can't stop thinking of him as my master….I mean Yoska. Nate why? Why can't I make any sense of this? I need my life back, the one with all the holes that were supposed to be there!" he looked at Nate begging him to fix whatever was wrong.

Callen sat on his bed with his knees drawn to his chest slowly rocking and hugging himself.

"Can you fix me?" He asked softly.

Nate's heart broke for his friend, "I hope so Callen," He pulled a sedative out of his pocket, "First take this, you need some rest and I'll see you tomorrow, if you're willing to work with me."

Callen nodded and gratefully took the pill, "Thank you." He said and lay-back down on the bed as Nate covered him with a throw.

Nate walked out of Callen's room, wiped his eyes and prepared to go and talk to the others.

 


	13. Chapter 13

Nate walked into the large drawing room where Hetty and the team were sat.

"Well." He said leaning against the same doorframe Callen had not three hours ago, "He's hurting, I'm not sure entirely what's happened to him, from his point of view, but he has lost trust in everyone, more importantly he's lost trust in himself. He knows something happened during the last month but there are large gaps in his memory." He sat next to Hetty and steeled himself for what he had to tell her.

"Hetty, Callen has an issue with trusting you. He does not know yet what it is, but he knows for him that it is the most painful thing that he has ever faced. I want to do regression therapy with him, I will also need permission to access the files for this current mission and if he needs it any one to one therapy."

"I doubt G will go for all that." Sam said.

"He asked for it." Nate said flatly.

The others all looked at him shocked.

"He asked for it?" Sam replied waiting for Nate to laugh and say it was a joke.

"He's scared, he has none of his normal barriers, and someone needs to tell me how they were lost so quickly and what happened to him in the last month." Nate said sternly.

Hetty let Kensi and Deeks leave, they were given a week off as she stood the whole team down. "Mr. Hanna, I need to inform Director Vance of the change in the teams' status, Will you fill Mr. Getz in?" She asked feeling the need to get some perspective on the situation.

"Sure Hetty." Sam smiled.

* * *

Nate and Sam talked for an hour on Callen's regression to childhood and the incidents with Jackson Grey and Yoska Comescu. Nate listened and took notes. "I will need to see the video files, I think seeing Yoska's encounter with you over the internet will be important." He said still writing.

Callen walked into the living room, well to say he walked was an understatement, Sam had his back to the door, and Callen had slipped up quietly, stuck his head around to see if it was safe. Eyed Sam up as a potential threat and then sauntered into the room as though nothing was wrong.

"Hey Sam." Callen said and slouched on the sofa.

"Hey G." Sam noticed an undercurrent of readiness in his partner, after years of working with him he could tell that although he looked relaxed he was anything but. He had picked up a book but every few seconds he checked the windows and doors for threats and jumped slightly when Sam deliberately scraped his feet across the flooring.

"OK well you're both here, so Callen, Can you tell me what issues you have with Sam." Nate said.

Callen looked at Nate as though he had just asked him to run through the streets of LA naked. "NO!" he gasped.

"It's ok G, if you have anything you need to work out…just say it. It'll be fine," Sam said

"I…I trust you. I know that, but I feel like you are the only one I do trust…Why? Why do I trust you and Nate, but no one else and not…?" he couldn't finish and tell Sam he didn't trust Hetty, "What happened to me Sam?" Callen asked him, flat out honestly.

Sam looked at Nate for permission and Nate gave a small nod.

"You lost your memory, you thought you were 15." Sam told him.

"Is that how you all found out about Mo…her?" He asked. Nate noticed that he was having trouble calling Hetty mom.

Sam nodded, "All except me remember I found out when you had chicken pox. But the fifteen year old you wasn't so restrained about calling Hetty Mom at work."

"How did I lose my memory, was it a car accident?" Callen asked.

"No, Hetty was kidnapped on her way to a meeting by a man named Alec Mikheeva, who worked for a guy called Jackson Grey." Sam said carefully watching his friends face.

Callen flinched at the mention of Jackson Grey. "He…He beat….I know him from when I was younger." He said.

"This Mikheeva guy held Hetty and wanted to trade her for some discs, we had to come here to look for them, Vance made Kensi and Deeks come, that's how they found out." Callen sighed as Sam told him this.

"Did they tell?" He asked.

"Nope they kept your secret; I still don't think they've told anyone." Sam affirmed.

* * *

Callen sat and took this in… "Okay, so what happened next."

"Hetty was made to talk to you online, she gave you a message in Romani and you followed it."

"And no one thought it strange?" Callen asked surprised.

"Granger did, you translated just enough to get her point across without giving yourself away, Vance and Granger decided Deeks should go in as you, but you wouldn't wait so you took the discs and went all 'lone wolf' on us again….Which by the way G NEVER works out for you!" Sam added with a small grin.

Callen shrugged and leant back. He gave a small no-committal noise and Sam rolled his eyes Nevertheless he continued.

"Granger figured out who you were and we all went after you. He saved your life." Sam added, Callen sat up with interest at that.

"Really?"

"Yeah apparently he owed you?" Sam looked at Callen who shrugged back; he did not have a clue what on earth Granger could owe him for.

Sam shook his head. "Anyway Apparently…."

"Jackson was there…Mikheeva worked for him….He hit me again." Callen finished.

"Yeah, Granger had you airlifted to hospital, when you woke up you thought it was '85 and you were fifteen." He said

"Oh God!" Callen groaned and ran a hand over his face.

* * *

Sam raised an eyebrow and allowed himself a small smirk, "Oh yeah, you stole your car…and got plastered at Portuguese point."

Callen had a flashback of him throwing a bottle over a cliff. "Yeah…I think I remember that…..I DO, That's when she said it. She must have called him then!" He yelled at Nate jumping off the chair and pacing around, "I need to get out of here!" He said and ran to his room.

Sam and Nate ran after him.

"G!" Sam called. "Stop!"

Callen slid on the waxed floor and turned to them, "You knew!" he said accusingly, "I was a liability she told him and you knew….Where is she now?" His eyes grew wider as he fitted the pieces together, "You're both keeping me here….she's gone to get him! Hasn't she!" he was all but screaming by now. "She wants' me dead I heard her tell the Mast…Yoska…He said she gave me to him…." He slid down the wall and pulled himself into a ball, "OH MY GOD! He was right!"

Sam leant down to put a hand on Callen's shoulder, but Callen's fight or flight response kicked in, He kicked out at Sam and ran to his room, beating the two men and locking the door.

"Callen, that's not true!" Nate called through the door.

"G listen to Nate, Hetty loves you she's your mom!" Sam begged him to see reason.

"NO! She was my foster mom, and like the rest, she was only out to use me. I was stupid enough to think she actually cared," He laughed derisively "She's just like the rest of them out to hurt me. I've had enough, No more." Callen called back. While he was talking, he grabbed his bag, stuffed a change of clothes inside and his wallet and climbed out of the window.

"Callen please let us in!" Nate begged to what was now an empty room.

"Nate. I can't let him do this to himself, I'm gonna kick the door in." Sam told him, hoping if Nate agreed Hetty would not rip him a new one for breaking her door.

Nate nodded and stepped back as Sam kicked in the door…..to an empty room.

 


	14. Chapter 14

As he dropped to the ground, Callen felt his ankle twist. "Damn it." He cursed he limped around the side of the house and out of a rarely used gate that he doubted even Hetty knew was in the wall at the back of the garden of the house. Covered with ivy, it was old and the lock was a bit rusty, but the key, which Callen had found years ago, was still hanging on the hook by the gate.

He unlocked it and as he went through, he heard from within the house the sound of his bedroom door being kicked in.

The rational part of him was yelling at him to stop and trust Sam. The rest of him…just said RUN!

He made it down the path that had not been used in years to the private beach, which Hetty owned but never used. It had been his refuge growing up, he had never told anyone about it.

* * *

One of the first things you learn when in care is to create a refuge, somewhere where you feel safe.

In this case when he had come to live with Hetty he had spent the first month looking for the perfect safe spot.

Every evening in the hour after he had arrived home from school until Hetty had made it home from work he had explored his surroundings. The first week checking out escape routes and hiding places in case of emergency. Such as this new mom suddenly changing her mind and getting one of the huge Agent guys she had working for her to come and kick his ass. He was pleased she had never betrayed him and as the weeks went on escape planning had been less and less.

In one of his last weeks before the fostering paperwork was finalized, he had come across this door, he found the key buried in the ground nearby and had opened it.

Going down the small pathway to the beach Callen had been surprised at how peaceful it was here.

Over the next few months, he had managed to smuggle a broken shed, which he had turned, into a makeshift shelter. A Hammock, an old leather sofa with a few springs missing and a stock of food and water; also a small cooking pot and camping stove. Hetty had not noticed any of the items missing and over the years where he could Callen had replaced all the items.

The only additions to his stock now were weapons, a first aid kit, a spare cell phone and his bedroll, that Hetty had insisted he throw out.

Throwing his bag down, he collapsed on his sofa, watched the waves, and waited as his breathing calmed down. He carefully took off his sneaker and pulled a bandage around his ankle to stop the swelling fighting back tears that threatened to engulf him. Even here in the one place on earth, he knew no one could find him, did he feel safe enough with his feelings to let the terror that threatened to overwhelm him have free reign.

He grabbed some painkillers from the pack, took them and lay back allowing sleep to claim him.

* * *

Sam and Nate looked around the house, in the gardens and on the roof.

They noticed no cars were missing although they did not know if Callen owned a motorbike that was missing. In the end, they had to admit defeat and do the one thing they had been dreading.

They had to call Hetty.

Hetty was in the middle of a briefing with Director Vance.

After his initial shock and anger at finding out about the relationship between his operations manager and Senior Team leader, he had allowed Callen to continue his employment at OSP provided there were no more problems.

He knew that Callen would need some recovery time and this briefing was where Hetty was keeping him up to date as of his progress.

"I do hope your boy is going to be back on rotation soon. Our B team is good, but I would prefer, especially with the Vice Presidents visit to our San Diego marine training center coming up, that our A team was back and on their game." Vance told the other woman.

"Leon, Mr. Getz and Mr. Hanna are with him now, I am hoping he'll be back to work in the next month." She said. Her face was stoic however she did have her fingers crossed behind her back.

Leon smiled. "Knowing Agent Callen that means he'll be back in about two weeks if you can keep him out that long." He chuckled.

"I hope so Leon. I do hope so." Hetty said.

She cut off the screen and turned to walk down to her office as her phone on her desk rang.

As she answered it the dread feeling that she had got bigger, "Mr. Hanna I need you and Nate to come to OSP, I have a hunch but will need Mr. Beale's help." She replaced the receiver and headed back in the direction of OPS.

It was getting dark when they both arrived at the mission building. They were met outside Ops by Kensi and Deeks.

"What did you do?" Deeks asked awed.

"What?" Sam replied.

"Hetty has spent an hour on the phone to the pentagon arranging for us to use a thermal imaging satellite over her house. And she's really mad." Kensi said awed.

Only once before had she seen Hetty this angry, right before she left NCIS to head to Prague to try to throw the Comescu's off Callen's trail.

Sam looked at Nate and shrugged as they walked in the room.

"What happened?" Hetty asked without looking up from what she was doing.

Sam opened his mouth but Hetty cut him off. "I don't care how much it was cost general, if it is that much of a problem for you send me the bill." She snapped. She waited and let out a self satisfied smirk, the same one Callen used on occasions, this threw Sam, he had been sure that was genetic not learned behavior.

As Hetty turned to the pair of them Sam realized the 'what happened' comment was aimed at them.

"We were talking and Callen started to get some of his memories back. Apparently, he thought you wanted him dead, he heard you telling Yoska that. He remembered and he got convinced that you were off getting him. He freaked out and ran off." Nate said. "He also said. He thought you were just like the rest of his foster parents and he was stupid to think you actually cared, he seemed angrier with himself than anyone else." He added as an after thought.

Hetty held her horror in, she knew when she had said that she wanted 'him' dead, and only the 'him' she had been referring to was Yoska Comescu not her son. She realized that Yoska had not entirely cut the feed that day in Ops and had used her momentary lapse in judgment to hurt her boy.

She felt the urge to go to the morgue, find his body and shoot him again.

* * *

She sent a glare towards the two men and turned to Eric, "Mr. Beale, please access this satellite and type in this pass code, it is the US geological survey satellite and had thermal imagery, if you target these coordinates, we should be able to find Mr. Callen if he is indeed still on the grounds."

Eric typed the parameters in and an image of Hetty's home came online.

The house was cold, there was obviously no one inside, but behind the house in the area of the private beach, Hetty had forgotten came with the house there was a thermal signature.

"That's him!" Kensi said, "It has to be."

"Of course." Hetty said, "His bolt hole." She continued understanding.

Nate looked at her. "Bolt Hole?" He asked.

"In each of his foster homes, Callen found somewhere he could retreat to for solace or safety, He hadn't mentioned having one with me, however he must have found the beach that goes with my property. I vaguely remember there being a door in a wall; however I haven't seen it in years, the only way we'll get there is by boat." She showed them where it was on the map.

"When you get him, bring him back here, I think this may help him," Hetty said trying hard and failing to keep the worry out of her voice.

The boat rounded the cliffs and Hetty's beach came into view.

Kensi, Sam and Deeks pulled the boat into shore.

"You should go first," Sam said to Kensi. She nodded and walked up to Callen who was asleep on the sofa, the meds still making him drowsy.

"Callen?" She said, putting a hand on his shoulder.

Without waking Callen pulled a gun from under his pillow and pointed it at Kensi, "Go away," He said as he woke, "You shouldn't be here,"

"Hetty sent us."

This brought Callen to full wakefulness he moved still pointing his gun, "I trusted you guys and she sends you," His face went blank, "Leave now. I will shoot you, I won't go back!" He stood his ground and the others backed off.

Kensi looked back at Callen, she was shocked at how alone he looked but as Callen fired two warning shots at the people, he had called his friends they climbed back into the boat and went back around the cliffs.

Still feeling woozy, Callen grabbed his essentials and threw them in a bag, grabbed his bedroll and prepared to leave. He took the Kerosene out of the can he had and poured it all over his shack.

He hated to do this, but he had been compromised, he lit a match and threw it into the shack.

It went up with a whoosh that was seen but his three teammates on the boat.

"Callen!" Kensi said afraid.

"It's ok Kenz, Hetty and Nate know what they are doing." Sam said, with a lot more confidence than he felt.

Callen looked at the bolthole he had had for years go up in flames. He grabbed his stuff and started the slow walk up the Cliffside, limping as he went.

By the time, he reached the top of the cliff he was exhausted, he took his key, opened the weather beaten door in the wall, and carefully stepped through.

Nate stood ready at the other side to catch him as Hetty injected a sedative into his neck.

"NO!" Callen said futility as he started to fight himself falling into unconsciousness. "Please, I'm sorry!" he begged as the drug claimed him.

Nate with the help of Sam, who had finally made it back to the house with the team, carried the team leader back to the house and transferred him to the car for his eventual wake up on the couch at OSP.

 


	15. Chapter 15

Callen was carried to ops and he was put on a cot, he was still out cold and Hetty had Dr. Lee come in and strapped up his ankle.

"It's not broken, just sprained. He shouldn't walk on it for a day or two." She said. She handed Hetty a bottle of painkillers and left.

Hetty nodded her thanks and turned to Nate.

"Mr. Getz I need you to stay with me, Eric I want access to the footage from here during the conversation with Yoska Comescu and then I want the room cleared and locked down." She ordered.

Sam opened his mouth to protest but one look from Hetty cut him off. He left the room followed by Nell and Eric and walked downstairs to where Kensi and Deeks were sitting.

Halfway down the stairs they heard the security locks engage and Ops was locked down.

Sam sank into his chair and glared up at ops.

"You know... we could... hack into the cameras and watch what happens." Nell said.

The others looked at her, "Hetty'll kill us!" Eric said shocked.

"Are you going to tell?" Nell asked.

All of them looked at her and cringed at how much like Hetty she was. "No." They all answered. She turned to her tablet and pulled the feed up from the ops center.

They sat back and watched as Hetty and Nate sat waiting for Callen to wake up.

* * *

Callen started to stir. Hetty sat upright and leant forward, "Mr. Getz?" she said quietly.

Callen groaned and opened his eyes. "NO! Not safe…" He slurred, shaking the fog from his mind he try getting away wincing as he tried to put weight on his foot. Nate came up went to steady Callen.

Callen whirled and hit Nate in the face "Get off me! Let me go!" he pulled himself out of Nate's grip and limped over to the doors.

"NO, please don't hurt me." Callen said afraid all he'd been told was true.

"G." Hetty said.

Callen stopped and turned.

"Mo…Hetty?" he was stunned she had never, well hardly ever called him by his initial, even as a child she had only called him Callen.

"I need you to watch something, then I want to talk to you…I have always been honest with you, if you still want to leave after this I will not stop you." She said.

Callen sat on a chair she had positioned in front of him.

As he sat, his arms crossed and posture guarded both Hetty and Nate could see the distrust rolling off him in waves, for Hetty it was a reminder of the young man she had brought into her home all those years ago. Although then, because she had saved him he trusted her, but the vibes he was giving off now were the same that he had used with Child services and the Judge that had finally placed them together.

Nate stood up, "Callen, I know you have lost your trust in us, you have been through some major trauma and you do need some counseling. But first you need to trust me and Hetty."

"Why?" Callen asked sullenly, "I know all I need to I heard her….she said she wanted me dead."

"I was talking about Yoska." Hetty tried to explain.

"I heard you!" Callen snapped. "Mast…Yoska told me he would protect me, he…." Callen leant forward for a moment and out his head in his hands.

"Callen have I ever hurt you or beat you like Yoska?" Hetty said

"No….."

"Have I ever given you any reason for you not to trust me?" Hetty said looking him right in the eye, "Watch."

She cued up the footage and stood with her hand on Callen's shoulder as he saw the team and Hetty watch Yoska's conversation with Hetty.

Callen saw himself standing with Yoska and answering his question, this time his mouth moved with the answers even though no actual words came out.

He felt himself flinch the moment Yoska pressed the button. Nate watching carefully stopped the playback. "Callen can you tell me what happened there?" he asked.

"Mast…Yoska punished me…" Callen said not looking Nate in the eye.

"Why?" Nate asked.

"Boy was…I was bad…I wanted to stop him I wanted…" Callen trailed off and he would not answer.

"Tell me, right then, what did you want?" Nate asked pushing again.

For the first time defiance shining in his eyes he looked at them both and then focused on Hetty, "I wanted you I wanted to go home." He said.

Hetty was about to speak when Callen carried on, "Then I heard you, you said I want him dead and I knew, Yoska knew you meant me, he beat me for hours after that…I know better, When I came back I wanted to trust you. God, how I wanted that! But I know better now I shouldn't have ever broken my own rule." Callen stood up and tried the door again. Turning his back to them, as he did not want them to see how much they had gotten through his defenses.

"LET ME OUT!" He yelled.

"No you need to see this." Nate stood his ground and resumed the playback as Callen saw Hetty as mad as hell say she wanted him dead.

Callen's eye teared up, why were they putting him through this?

He watched as Hetty in OPS cried. He saw her walked to the image of Callen on the screen touch his cheek tenderly and whisper, "I will save you my son, with my last breath I'll save you."

Callen looked stunned.

Yoska had lied; he had twisted it and turned it until it became something ugly in Callen's mind. Yoska had tried to destroy the faith he had in his mother the woman who had saved him.

"Callen, I wanted Yoska dead, he hurt you." Hetty said simply.

"But?" Callen stopped, "You…did?"

"Callen, do you remember what I told you the first time I found you?" Hetty asked quietly. As Callen allowed the pain in his ankle to overtake him and he slid down the doors to sit on the floor.

"That you would never reject me or hurt me and that you wan…wanted to be my momma." Callen whispered

"Have I ever done anything to make you not trust me?" Hetty said

"I….Oh God…Nate what's wrong with me?" Callen put his head in his hands as Hetty moved to comfort her boy.

"G, do you trust Hetty?" Nate asked. To be able to move forward Callen needed to be able to finally answer this question.

Callen looked at her, "Yes…I….Yes I do!" He said resolutely. "I'm sorry momma?" he said.

For a few moments, mother and son held onto each other each, drawing strength from the presence of the other.

* * *

"Mr. Callen, Nate is going to come back with us and spend a few days with you, Hopefully he can get you fit enough to come back to work." Hetty said.

Callen nodded, "Thanks Nate." He said both for the help he was going to give and the fact that Nate was currently helping him up off the floor and onto a chair. He then handed the other man a set of crutches.

"These might help too!" Nate told him.

Callen gave a slight smile, "I suppose you better let the wonder twins back in their lair now."

"I will go and inform Miss Jones and Mr. Beale." Hetty said.

"No need," Callen smirked looking up at the Cameras "If I were them I'd have routed the live security feed from this room downstairs." He hated the fact that everyone had seen his meltdown but he knew that was exactly what they had done, as there was the noise of his team scrambling away from the monitors to look like they had been doing something else.

He slowly got onto the crutches and hobbled to the door as it finally opened.

"Mr. Callen." Hetty said going into what Callen had secretly dubbed work mode.

"Hetty?" Callen said.

"You are signed off on sick leave for a week's intensive therapy with Mr. Getz; after he presents me with your psych eval then you can return to work. I will give Director Vance an update on your condition."

Callen paled, "Mom…Hetty Can I still work here?"

Hetty looked at him "I 'talked' to Director Vance, our working relationship did not suffer before this and he see's no reason to break up a perfectly good team now, and Nor do I," She said.

Only because he knew her so well could he detect the sparkle in her eye that told him not to push it and he nodded and caught up to where Nate was waiting.

"Nate I…I can face them, not yet. I know they saw but I need some time, Can you…?" He asked.

Nate nodded and handed him his car keys.

"Go sit in my car and wait for me. I will see the others." He replied.

Gratefully Callen hobbled to Nate's car, Climbed in the passenger seat and finally again allowed exhaustion to claim him.

 


	16. Chapter 16

Callen opened his eyes to find himself outside his childhood home. Hetty had given Nate a key and told him he was to stay in one of the spare rooms. Callen got his crutches and hobbled into the house with Nate helping him get settled.

"Do we have to start now?" Callen asked

"Not today, I'll go over what we are going to do and you can let me know if it's acceptable with you and then we can formulate a plan of attack from there." Nate told him.

Callen nodded as Nate helped him elevate his ankle. Nate went and made himself and Callen a cup of Hetty's Chamomile tea and brought the pot into the living room. Pouring the tea out Nate handed Callen a cup full.

"So is it gonna be like the annual psych evals?" Callen asked.

"No, more like two friends talking, if needed would you want to do hypnotherapy?" Nate asked.

Callen sat and thought about it, "Would it help?" He asked

"It might, although I'd like to see how we do with conventional therapy first, there is a therapy called NLP or Neuro Linguistic Therapy, it's a newish technique but I've had some good results with it in PTSD patients."

Callen looked at Nate warily, "This doesn't involve electrodes does it?" He asked.

Nate smiled "Nope not an electrode in sight." He laughed clearing the air. "It's just talking and breathing and thinking."

Callen nodded, "Ok it can't hurt…you wanna start in the morning?"

"Sure, Hetty said something about a pot roast for dinner tonight….any good?" Nate asked.

Callen gave his first genuine smile in a few days, "Mom may be tiny, but she works wonders in the kitchen, you know Nate, she taught Michel Roux how to cook."

"Really?" Nate asked stunned.

Callen shrugged, "I don't know, but would you want to tell her you don't believe her? Besides it is awesome."

* * *

Nate had to agree the smells coming from the huge crock pot in the kitchen were delightful. "She's probably making enough for Deeks again." Callen said.

"Deeks?" Nate asked.

"Sam has Michelle, Kensi has her mom, you have Rose….Deeks doesn't have family, Mom makes him a meal once a week and has it delivered, I'm not sure if he knows it's from her, but I figure he's guessed." Callen told Nate.

Nate was surprised to find out that the operations manager did things like that for her Agents.

"So Hetty is like Deeks' mother as well?" Nate asked.

"More like a concerned Aunt Mr. Getz." Hetty said entering the room.

"How long have you been doing this?" Nate asked.

"For years, I have always kept an eye on my charges."

Nate looked at her knowingly, "Callen I know you've been his mother since he was 15, but Deeks?"

"Since he was shot…I knew of his father and the incident when he was eleven, however, he had managed to keep the rest of his family situation even from me. Until he was shot and we discovered he had no next of kin."

Callen having heard this story before took advantage of the momentary lull in his welfare to doze on the couch.

"So you became his next of kin, what about his mother?" Nate asked.

Hetty looked over at her son sadly, pleased he was resting. "Mrs. Brandel threw her son onto the streets at eleven, blamed him for his father going to prison, Mr. Deeks was taken in by a child lawyer when he was arrested for stealing food from a homeless shelter. At eleven he didn't realize the food and clothing he stole were free. The shelter's administrator thought young Marty, was trying to steal her purse. Robert Deeks took him in and him and his wife Brenda fostered him. At 18 he took their surname, the Deeks' couldn't have children and put Marty through college and law school."

"So how come they aren't his next of kin?" Nate asked pleased Deeks' had found a nice family.

"They were killed in a car accident in 1994….Gordon John Brandel hit their car head on, Deeks was the only survivor although until he was shot he never knew his biological father was the one driving the car that killed his foster parents." Callen said his eyes still shut.

Hetty hadn't realized that Callen knew, she raised an eyebrow in surprise and still with his eyes shut Callen smirked. "I do read your files mom, especially if they involve my team."

"And confidentiality?" she asked slightly scolding him.

"I never told you did I…So it's still confidential, I only told Nate and he's my therapist." Callen smirked.

She sighed walking out of the room she said, "One day you'll be the death of me Callen!"

"Never…! Death's too scared to cross you." Callen said back as he slowly eased himself upright. The clock chimed seven and he raised himself up. "Dinner Nate." He said and headed to the dining room.

They made it just as Hetty put the plates on the table.

* * *

That evening as Nate unpacked for his week at Hetty's home he thought back on the interaction between the two of them.

Callen was more unguarded here and more relaxed than Nate had ever seen him. Breaking down in OPS had been a cathartic experience for Callen and the fact that he had talked to Nate in regards to his therapy was encouraging.

He had been right in insisting that Callen undergo the therapy here. There was nothing here that made Callen feel wary and given the way the family had reacted through dinner Callen was still comfortable with Hetty even though there had been a few times when Callen had tensed up.

For all he could see it wasn't just Callen that needed this healing, Hetty needed to somehow be included in this, that was easy enough when he used the fact that Callen needed her, but how she would react when he needed to talk to her alone…now that was the $64,000 question.

Writing his notes from today's informal session, Nate felt like there would be some progress.

'At least.' He wrote, 'Callen is finally allowing me to give him the psych eval, I have been trying to give him since I joined the LA team.'

Nate leant back on his bed and listened as the house wound down for the night and mentally prepared himself for tomorrow.

 


	17. Chapter 17

Callen awoke and reached for his crutches.

Opening his windows and looking out across the immaculately kept gardens of his mother's house he breathed in the ocean air. Only slightly could he still smell the faint smell of smoke from what was left of his bolt hole. He didn't want to rebuild another, but maybe a small shack for relaxing down there….not a safety bolt hole, but a space his own nonetheless. He knew he was starting therapy with Nate today, the idea made him feel jumpy but excited as well.

Callen quickly washed and dressed and hobbled down to the kitchen to find Hetty still there.

"I thought you would have left already?" He said surprised.

She smiled at him, "It's a big day for you today, and I thought I would give you the option as to whether you wanted me here or not." She said as Nate sat at the table drinking his coffee, surreptitiously watching them.

"You don't have to," Callen said worried he was putting her out.

"I want to, if you want me there, I won't step on your toes but I do want you to know I am around if you need me,"

Callen leant down and kissed Hetty on the head, "Thanks mom….would you stay…just for today?" He asked.

Hetty smiled and picked up her teacup, "I will not sit in your session, but I can work from home today, I will be in the study, and Callen, your cereal is already in the bowl." She added as he opened the cupboard door.

Callen looked along the counter to the blue bowl with the lucky charm cereal in it. He smiled as he realized she had added extra mini marshmallows to the bowl. Pouring in the milk he grabbed a glass of juice and sat next to Nate.

* * *

"It's nice to see this side of Hetty," Nate remarked.

"She is a great mom, I'm lucky to have her." Callen admitted around mouthfuls of the sugary cereal. "I think without her I would have turned out a lot different, she taught me that I could be more than what I was."

Nate looked up at that "More than what you were?"

Callen shrugged, well, if the therapy was going to start… "I was nothing; I was raised to know I was nothing, that nobody wanted me and then taught by Jackson that I was less than nothing… If mom hadn't come along when she did…." He stopped remembering the man they had arrested a few months ago who was brought up in the system whose life had turned out the complete opposite of Callen's. "She got me an education, got me into college and then the services, eventually steering me toward the DEA, CIA and NCIS."

"So….she made you?" Nate prodded.

"No! She saved me; I would have been Mast…Yoska's slave had she not saved me." Callen stated, putting his spoon down and taking the bowl to the kitchen and emptying the rest into the trash.

"Can we talk about that?" Nate asked.

"What?" Callen countered knowing what was coming next.

"Yoska Comescu, it took him three days to break you, can you tell me how?" Nate asked gently.

Callen got up and walked to the small patio off of the living room and sat in a chair staring towards the ocean.

* * *

"Jackson talked to him….he told him …..Everything about me, what I was afraid of what he had overheard me saying as a kid…my biggest fear" Callen trailed off and watched the ocean again. He took a deep breath and collected himself and carried on. "He knew and with that and the electrocutions and beatings."

"You want to tell me…." Nate waited watching the fear; the uncertainty and the resolve to change things go through him.

"He beat me as much as Jackson had when I was a child…as much as some of the others….when I couldn't take anymore, he played video of the team working without me and then he said…he said…." Callen stopped Nate could see the tears welling up in his eyes and him trying to keep his masks in place. "He said I wasn't wanted, he was right, he knew about how my family didn't want me and then I heard Hetty said she wanted me dead…he said she told him I was more trouble than I was worth."

"You know now though that she meant Yoska, she wanted Yoska dead for hurting you," Nate told him.

"I know that now!" Callen snapped. Then he calmed down and looked at Nate, "Do you know how it feels to be told your whole life that you are worth nothing and that no one wants you. This is reinforced every time you find yourself in a home with a family and after a few hours or a few days or weeks….just as you think this might be the one….the last, they turn around and say sorry kid, it's just not working, or it's not you it's us…like a bad break up line." He smiled grimly remembering the past, "Or the best ones….the ones where you want to leave, just so you live to see your next birthday."

Nate sat silently unsure what to say.

"Then, you think the one woman who cared; who actually loved you is dead." Callen said his throat choking on the last word. "I know now that I lost my memory, but the next thing I know….I'm in a cage in…his…I'm in a cage and they tell me she lied, she wasn't dead but she didn't want me either….then he beat me, he had a collar…electro shock collar I only had to think wrong and he knew." Callen walked into the living room and poured himself a large scotch from Hetty's cabinet and drank it in one gulp.

"For you guys it was only three days, As far as I knew I had been there for months, my memory came back and he told me she didn't want me and you didn't…It hurt…he hurt me, but he wanted me. It was all I had." Callen admitted.

Nate sat.

He had known that Callen had abandonment issues from his life as a child, but never had talked to him about his feelings about it as much as he had tried to today and Nate admired him for that.

"I think we should stop for today….if you're ok with that," Nate suggested.

* * *

Callen let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.

"Thanks…..Wow I'm tired." He said.

Nate smiled, "I heard about your bolt hole. Hetty thought you might want to rebuild it… Hetty said if you make the plans while your leg is healing she'll arrange for a Hut to be built to your design. You want some help planning it?" he asked.

For the first time that day Callen let out a real smile as he reached into Hetty's desk and got out some paper, pencils and a ruler.

He took them to the dining room table and the pair of them spent the afternoon planning Callen's new bolt hole.

Hetty walked into the kitchen and started pulling vegetables out of the fridge, "So did you boys have a productive morning?" She asked.

"It was good," Nate said and Callen looked up in surprise, "He really engaged well. We made great progress."

Hetty set a plate of raw vegetables in front of them and then a plate of Sushi.

"You two eat lunch. After lunch you have an appointment with a physical therapist for your ankle." Hetty said pointing at Callen.

"Don't worry, I'll take you." Nate smiled and they relaxed and ate while in between bites of Hetty's delicious Sushi they discussed tomorrow's session.

 


	18. Chapter 18

Callen slept after lunch, knowing he had four hours until his physical therapy appointment. After his usual twenty minutes he opened his eyes and he looked at the shelf across the room from him.

Something was wrong.

He lifted himself back onto the cushions of the couch and tried to see what it was that was bothering him.

Nate saw Callen wake up and watched him as a look of concern crossed his face, Callen scanned the room silently listening to see if anything was out of place. Then it occurred to him as he focused on the family photos. He had been in the house; Jackson had been here in Hetty's home, his sanctuary. He remembered when Jackson had given him the photograph of Hetty dead, he had said he had seen all the pictures in his house…there were no pictures in HIS house, but here… in Hetty's house there were an abundance of pictures of Callen growing up and pictures of him and Hetty.

A look of horror crossed Callen's face before he could hide it and Nate crossed the room and sat on the coffee table by the couch.

"Callen, what's wrong?" He asked.

"He was here…." Callen breathed trying to get his breathing under control.

"Who was here?"

"Jackson…." Callen pulled himself up to standing and hobbled over to the shelf, "The son of a bitch was here…right here!" he said moving the photographs on the shelf.

An old photo was hidden between the others Callen picked it up and promptly rushed to the trash can and filled it with the contents of his stomach. He wiped his mouth as Nate moved to pick up the picture.

"NO!" Callen said and snatched it out of his hand.

"Callen, this has obviously triggered something, if you show me maybe I can help you work through this." Nate said gently as Callen sank into an armchair grasping the picture fighting back the tears and emotion that came with it.

"He…he wanted her to see this, Even now…I thought he was gone but he wants to make mom hurt more." Callen said sadly.

Even though it was the last thing he wanted to do he handed Nate the picture, "I'm gonna have to tell her…aren't I?" He asked.

"About the picture? Maybe, maybe not we'll see." Nate said

"No, she doesn't need to know about that _ **ever,**_ No I meant about Jackson being in the house, we are going to have to reset all the alarm codes. I should call her," He said picking up his cell.

"I think she's still in her study, I'll tell her when your therapist gets here." Nate reassured him. "You want to tell me about the photo."

"No." Callen snapped.

Nate gave him the 'you know eventually you're going to tell me and I have all the time in the world' stare.

Callen sank back into the armchair.

* * *

"It was before mom saved me….Jackson…," Callen took a deep breath, "Crap, It's been years how come he still affects me like this?"

Nate, like a good psychologist, said nothing and waited.

Callen glared at him.

"Fine!" He snapped. "Jackson liked to beat me, that's nothing new, you can see that." He gestured to the photo

Nate looked down at the picture, A young Callen was chained up from the ceiling in what looked like a basement and a group of boys looked like they were hurting him, one held a whip, another a baseball bat and one who looked as traumatized as the other boys held a cattle prod. Callen himself looked like he was dead, his eyes were devoid of emotion as he looked at the camera lens, and Nate could tell that Callen knew the picture was at that time being taken and that the boy in the picture didn't care.

"I thought the police had it, or it was lost." Callen said almost to himself.

"You want to tell me about it?" Nate asked again.

"It was my fault, I….I ran away." Callen looked at the floor; tears he had hoped to hide treacherously leaked their way down the side of his face. "Jackson had given me so much grief, I had been sent back to many times, he had beaten me twice that week and I ran away before the monthly inspection."

"Monthly inspection?" Nate asked.

"In California, all group homes are inspected each month by a social worker or their representative, if there are any problem children or any kids go to the social worker with complaints or any kid is sent back too much, the home is put on report to improve. I was sent back too much and Jackson was put on report, instead of punishing the whole home, which is what he usually did, he made the other three boys in the picture punish me while the others watched…It wasn't their fault, if they hadn't done as he asked he would have beaten them too."

"Why did he pick those three boys?" Nate asked.

Callen's answer was no louder than a whisper, "They were my friends…They were taught as were the others that I was not allowed to have friends."

For a moment Callen smiled.

Nate looked at him confused, "You smiled, was that a nice memory?"

Callen, thinking of his friend Andy and how through everything Jackson had put him through, Just nodded at Nate. Andy had refused to stop being Callen's friend and had stopped him doing some very stupid things as a teenager. He hadn't seen Andy after Hetty had rescued him and he had always hoped Andy had found himself a nice home and family.

"Some kids are just stubborn." Callen said meaning Andy.

Nate thought Callen meant himself and looked at Callen, "You think this is your fault?"

Callen gave a small laugh, "No…well yeah, some of it, I was thinking of Andy, he stayed my friend, he's the one with the Cattle prod. He called the police the night that Hetty came. He always looked out for me… I often wondered what happened to him." Callen said wistfully.

Nate made a mental note to find out.

* * *

Callen gently lifted his ankle onto the table in front of him.

"Is it hurting?" Nate asked.

Callen nodded, "I think my journey to the trash can twisted it a bit." He admitted.

Nate reached over and placed a cushion underneath it.

Callen sat back and looked at Nate. He didn't want to ask the next question, but not having an answer was going to drive him crazy. He took a deep breath, took the plunge and asked Nate, "Are you going to show mom the picture?" he mentally crossed his fingers that he wouldn't show her, he had promised to tell her everything about his time in care as a kid, but this…he hadn't told her. He didn't want her to think any less of him and there were still parts of his childhood he hadn't shared with her.

"No…but maybe, when you're ready…you should." Nate told him.

Callen smiled, "Ok, when I'm ready." He smirked knowing that would be the same day that Hell froze over.

Nate opened his mouth to admonish his friend knowing exactly what he was thinking as the Therapist turned up.

Nate got up and answered the door, "Oh I thought that we were coming to you."

The dark haired therapist smiled at Nate, "No, our regular physical therapist has been called away and I was told Mr. Callen was feeling a bit down this afternoon so I arranged with Miss Lange to come here to treat him."

Nate nodded and showed her into the room where Callen was laying back in the chair with his eyes closed. "I'll leave you to it." He smiled he grabbed the photo off the table and went to talk to Hetty about the alarm system as he promised.

"That's fine Mr. Getz; I plan to give Mr. Callen a thorough workout." She smiled as he left.

As Nate closed the door, He didn't hear the lock click behind him and he walked off to Hetty's office.

Mina Comescu put her bag down and looked at Callen lying with his eyes still closed and reached into her bag, pulling out a thin wire garrote she walked over to her dozing charge and pulled the wire taught.

 


	19. Chapter 19

As Nate walked towards Hetty's office he felt something was off but couldn't quite place it.

Knocking on the door to her study she looked up in surprise as Nate walked in. "Mr. Getz, I thought you were taking Callen to his physical therapy session today?" she said.

"You did?" Nate sank into a chair, "But the therapist said you had arranged her to come here."

Hetty shrugged, "Myra probably just knew, Callen likes her though, he has a thing for redheads I think he picked it up from Jethro when they stayed together." She said absently.

Nate nodded he looked down at the picture and stopped. "Redheads?"

Hetty looked up, "Yes I was talking to Myra earlier, and she is a red head why?"

Nate stood up, "The woman at the door had dark hair…and an accent…"

Hetty reached into her drawer for her gun.

* * *

Callen was resting but he heard the lock quietly click into place and a feeling of danger swept over him. Instantly he knew it wasn't Myra who had entered the room. Not changing his breathing pattern he stayed where he was waiting to see what the woman's next move was.

He heard the bag open and the sound of what he assumed was a weapon being taken out, he knew whoever it was wouldn't risk using a gun and he hoped it was a knife.

His mind instantly ran over all the solutions to his problem, he couldn't run because of his ankle, he was in the wrong place to out maneuver her so he waited for her to come to him, shifting slightly as if he was still asleep he moved his hand to the small knife concealed in his belt. He heard her stop as he moved.

"Shit!" he thought as he realized she was moving behind him, instinctively he raised his arm as Mina looped the garrotte wire over his head.

"Vei muri pentru uciderea fratelui meu, Eu vă voi vedea în Iad!" she spat.

Callen's eyes shot open wide, she had to be Yoska's sister. His arm that was stopping the garrotte from killing him was starting to bleed profusely he lifted his other arm up and grabbed Mina by the hair and flipped her over his shoulder so she landed precariously in his lap.

Losing perspective for a moment and just seeing red he grabbed the small knife that was by his waist and slit her throat.

As she gurgled her last breath he looked her right in her eyes as the light left it, "A meritat cu de a muri și fel și tu Comescu," He spat with more venom in his voice than anyone had ever heard.

He stared at the woman as she died in his arms as he vaguely heard the door banging.

* * *

Nate kicked the door in as Hetty stood back fearing what they would find as they entered the room.

As the door swung open both stood there in shock as they saw Callen with the woman in his arms her arm hanging lifelessly and Callen staring into her eyes.

"Callen?" Nate said softly

Callen looked up and looked at Hetty as he shoved the woman's body onto the floor; He levered himself up on his crutches and moved away from her body.

Hetty walked over to Callen looking at the blood from the woman and the blood on her foster son, "Are you hurt?" She asked worried.

"I'm fine." He snapped. He hadn't meant to but he didn't want her to touch him while he was covered in her blood.

He hobbled out of the room leaving Hetty to call a clean-up team.

Nate turned to the smaller woman, "Something's not right; I mean I know someone just tried to kill him, but something in his….." Nate shrugged unable to put into words what was bugging him.

Hetty looked at the body of the woman on the floor and motioned to Nate to follow her to the desk in the corner; she opened up the laptop and typed in a password.

A file opened and Nate saw the room in real time, he looked around for the cameras as the 'Nate' on the screen did the same. Puzzled he turned back to Hetty, "Except for a few rooms the whole house is wired for surveillance, I have learnt over the years that it is a good thing, especially when bringing up a teenage boy," She smiled weakly.

She rewound the tape and they watched the altercation between Mina and Callen.

Listening to what Mina said Hetty shuddered, "She is Yoska's sister," she said as she realized who she was. She gasped as she realized that Callen was indeed injured, she was just about to tell Nate to make sure that the paramedics were called when they both heard Callen speak on the tape.

They stared stunned, Hetty by what he had said, Nate by Callen's tone of voice. He had never heard the team leader sound so cold.

"What did he say?" Nate asked.

Hetty shook her head. "I…." she stammered and walked out Nate, hot on her heels.

* * *

They walked up to Callen's room finding him on the floor his bag out and packing quietly, apart from telling Hetty he was fine he hadn't spoken a word.

"Mr. Callen, are you going somewhere?" Hetty asked carefully.

"Home."

"We will sort this out you don't have to leave."

"If I don't it will never end, you tried and it didn't work."

"You are safe here son." Hetty implored him.

"HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT?" Callen yelled making both Nate and Hetty step back, "They are all going to come after me, I have to take them out first or it will never end."

Nate crouched down near Callen, "You can't do that Callen, wipe a whole family out… it's crazy…it's like….it's like…"

Callen looked up and with a voice as emotionless as Nate had ever heard her said "What it's like a Romani gypsy blood feud thing….that's exactly what it is…and exactly who I am."

"No, you're more than that; you're a federal agent, you protect people."

"I can't protect anyone." Callen snapped. "I'm a cripple, I'm useless and I'm a target and no one near me is safe!"

"So you're going to leave me?" Hetty said looking Callen in the eye.

"To protect you…Yes!" he said resolutely

"Mr. Callen, a great many people over the years have tried to kill me, so far they have all failed. I protected myself a great many years before you came into my life and I can protect myself now." She admonished him.

"But you wouldn't have to protect yourself from the Comescu's if it were not for me?" Callen argued.

Hetty sat on Callen's bed and patted the seat beside her "Sit." She said and waited as he sat down. "Your grandfather was the only person guilty of starting this, when he shot Alexa Comescu's father she was the one who ordered the blood feud, none of this was your fault. I know that the feud is a gypsy thing and try as you might you can't stop that part of you that wants them all dead, but never, ever think this was your fault. You, your sister and your mother are all innocent parties in this." She told him.

"And my father?" he pushed

Hetty smiled enigmatically. "I think I hear the paramedics." She said and headed towards the door, "And Mr. Callen, you will let them fix your arm and then you can meet me in my study."

Callen sighed, "Yes mom." He looked at Nate and sent him a scowl as he saw Nate grin.

* * *

Nate helped Callen up and together they went down to a side room and Nate watched as Callen allowed the paramedic to patch him up.

"Why did you try to run?" Nate asked as the paramedic stitched up his arm.

"Wasn't running away Nate." Callen replied. "I just wanted to keep Hetty safe."

"She is right you know, she has kept herself safe for all these years and she's looked after you, why do you feel the need to leave and go after the Comescu's."

"Because she's my mother, and I love her." Callen said surprising Nate with the simplicity of it all, "And I will do anything it takes to protect her." He finished.

Nate nodded leaving Callen with the paramedic and went to see Hetty.

He smiled weakly at her as he entered.

"How is he?" She asked.

"He's getting a few stitches, but he'll be fine." Nate told her

"I don't think he'll go after them now." She said, remembering when she had done the same thing for him. Nate thinking about the same time looked at her.

"what he said earlier, about him being a target and no one near him being safe, is it true, is that why you went to Romania?" he asked his curiosity peaked.

"I protect my team," she said noncommittally.

"Just your team?" he pushed.

"I treat all of them the same,"

"But you were willing to kill Alexa Comescu for Callen."

Hetty turned and walked to the window. "yes." She said so quietly that Nate thought he had imagined it.

The she turned and looked him in the eye, "I am your operations manager and I will if necessary put him in harm's way to get the job done. But first and foremost I am his mother. I have been his mother since he was 15 and no matter what it is you two were trying to keep from me, you must make sure he knows that I don't blame him for anything that happened to him as a child and it won't make me love him less."

"I know that Ma." Callen said standing at the door.

Nate smiled as Hetty walked over and hugged her son.

Nate was pleased that this family was healing and that Callen finally knew where he belonged now all he had to do was convince Vance and Granger that having Hetty and Callen on the same team would not compromise team performance.

This was a meeting he was not looking forward too.

 


	20. Chapter 20

Getting ready that morning Callen looked at himself in the mirror. Ok, he was ready for this…..

He knew that Vance had said it was ok for him to come back to work. Hetty had told him that Granger was ok with it as well so why had Vance insisted on flying from Washington DC to Los Angeles for a face to face meeting.

Nate was surprised when he had talked to Director Vance, given him his take on Callen's mental and physical health and told him what had happened that Vance had informed him he was flying down.

"But, Sir…Callen will be fine to rejoin the team, there should be no problems at all," Nate had argued.

"Be that as it may Mr. Getz, I  **will** be coming myself and you and Miss Lange will be attending a meeting with myself and assistant director Granger. Mr. Callen is due back on the fifteenth correct?" Vance asked.

Nate nodded wordlessly.

"Good." Vance said looking behind Nate to the two technicians that were eavesdropping. Maybe while he was there he could get them to be more discreet too….although having already met Nell and Eric he doubted it.

He made a motion to the technician his end and the call was disconnected.

Nate had looked shocked at the other two and wordlessly headed down to fill Hetty in on the latest developments.

* * *

It was now a week since the call from Ops to MTAC.

Nate was in the conference room at the back of the operations center, it wasn't used often but Hetty felt for this the room would offer much needed privacy and somewhere quiet to talk.

Hetty had been here since dawn and was just waiting for Callen to turn up as he walked in through the door. His ankle had healed weeks ago, although the scar on his arm was still red and angry it was a lot better than it had been.

He dropped his bag at Hetty's desk not taking any chances over whether or not he still had a job and sat waiting for her to turn up.

"Hey Callen," Nate called as he walked past, "They're having the meeting in the conference room." He told him and Callen followed him down the hall. Before he opened the door he turned to Callen, "Are you ready for this?" Nate asked him.

Callen shrugged although he knew after all these weeks of talking to Nate that he wouldn't be satisfied until he actually had a verbal answer.

"Not really, I'm worried that Vance will kick me off the team, I know he won't fire Hetty she's too much of an asset, but me he can transfer anywhere and there's nothing I can do about it." He admitted.

Nate nodded understanding what Callen was going through.

"I think it will be ok," He said supporting his friend.

Callen not believing him nodded too, not because he had changed his mind but he hated the waiting so if he agreed Nate would let him go into the meeting and get it over and done with.

* * *

The door opened and Vance sat at the head of the table with Granger next to him.

Hetty sat at the bottom of the table with a seat next to her for Callen and one nearby for Nate.

Callen sat and unseen by any of the others reached for Hetty's hand under the table, she gave it a reassuring squeeze as they waited for Vance to speak.

"Agent Callen, I'm here to talk to you about your actions concerning the incident where Ms. Lange was kidnapped, mainly your attacking of Assistant Director Granger and pulling a firearm on him." Vance said.

Callen looked confused. He turned to Nate…. "I did what?" he whispered

Nate looked over at Vance, "Director Vance, as you may be aware during this operation, Agent Callen had some memory loss, it seems he has no memory of this incident." He said.

"Convenient that he had forgotten that particular incident." Vance said.

Callen's hand tightened around Hetty and she looked at him concerned. "Director, I assure you that when Mr. Callen has said he had forgotten the incident he does not mean this frivolously his physician can confirm that he had some memory loss."

Vance made a note on a pad in front of him and carried on.

"Mr. Getz says you are now mentally fit to return to duty, I see that you are physically well also, Is that correct?"

"Yes Sir," Callen replied.

"Now the other matter, I do not like my Agents keep secrets from me Agent Callen, when Ms Lange was promoted to Operations Manager after Lara Macy's departure, you should have come and told me about your relationship with her."

"I didn't think it mattered," Callen said honestly.

Vance raised an eyebrow and looked at his Agent, "Well it does, we have protocols for a reason Agent Callen, Your behavior when Miss Lange was kidnapped is a prime example of why family does not work together, Also, Miss Lange, when I offered you the job after Agent Callen's shooting you should have told me of your relationship with him."

"Leon, it was for Mr. Callen's safety a need to know arrangement." Hetty said with a small smile.

"Well, it certainly explains to me why you would disappear off to Poland and then Romania to try to throw the Comescu's off of Agent Callen's trail."

"I would have done that for any of my team, Leon," Hetty pointed out.

"Really?" Vance asked skeptically.

"When Agent Hanna needed back up in the Sudan, I didn't hesitate to send Mr. Callen in to back him up, when Ms Blye had that awful run in with the murderer of her father, I sent the team to back her up and when Mr. Deeks was shot and had no next of kin, I allowed him to put me down as his emergency contact." She said,

Vance nodded as he recalled each incident.

"Miss Lange, did you however, join this agency with the goal of finding out who shot Agent Callen and bringing them to justice?" Vance asked.

Hetty looked at Callen and nodded her head, "Originally, yes I did, but I also knew I could do some good here, and I believe I have done so." Hetty said daring either man to prove her wrong.

* * *

Granger cleared his throat and Callen braced himself.

"Leon, I have known Hetty for years and her record speaks for itself, I know this is a unique situation, but I do believe that the Los Angeles office can be relied on to keep the matter of Miss Lange's fostering of Agent Callen as a teenager an in house matter, It should not affect any other agencies and I believe the team are already aware of Agent Callen's involvement with Miss Lange and are all very supportive. I for one, do not think this should affect the team at all, After all they have now been working together for some years without incident and there were no problems until now, although some of those could have been avoided we can't all work in hindsight now can we." Granger smiled at Hetty and Callen and Nate sat there with their mouths open in surprise.

Leon looked at Granger and then at the others, "I suppose if your team can be relied upon to be discreet, I had already decided that your case closure rate was such that you could continue working, my only concern was if anyone tried to use this to their advantage and tried something like this again. However Owen did inform me of the circumstances in which you came into Hetty's care originally and how you both managed to keep it discreet during your years with both, the DEA, CIA and NCIS. Therefore I have decided, that, with proviso you may return to work,"

Callen looked up pleased at this but worried about the proviso.

"The proviso is that if any cases involving Hetty or yourself come up, you are both of you to stand down and hand the case over to either Owen Granger for Agent Callen or Myself in the case of Hetty being taken or injured." Vance said.

Callen and Hetty both nodded.

"Also as far as I am aware, the fact that you are both family is only known by us and the five other members of your team, I would like it to stay that way," Director Vance told them, "Can you have the others come in here." He said to Granger who left to get them.

While he was gone Vance turned to Nate, "I hear you finally have a full psych eval done on Agent Callen, how did that go?"

"Agent Callen is mentally fit to return to work, He is as adjusted as anyone who has been through this kind of trauma could be," Nate reported.

* * *

The team came in the room followed by Eric, Nell and Granger.

Director Vance stood and addressed the room, "This is confidential," He started and waited as they all acknowledge with a nod. "Recent events have shown that terrorists or any number of groups could if this information is leaked try to find a way to target Miss Lange or Agent Callen as weak links in this organization due to their relationship as Mother and son."

Callen smiled it was the first time he had heard himself described as Hetty's son to the group and he felt proud to be so.

Sam turned round to Director Vance, "Sir, We are ALL family here, and we will always look out for one another," He said standing with his hand on Callen's shoulder.

Callen couldn't help the grin that escaped him.

Director Vance nodded in agreement there was no way after all he had seen that he could argue with that statement.

He said, knowing this was one team that was perfect for one another and that this was the best he could hope for.

"Welcome Back Agent Callen."

 


End file.
